| When my son was in nursery school he raised his | | | | firmly in his long term unforgettable memory, my son, |
| hand to get his teacher's attention."Yes, Daniel?"Daniel | | | | not yet two and a half years old, started to read - |
| pointed to the word "Conneticut" written on the | | | | really read, not just parrot words he'd memorized. He |
| blackboard and said, "You spelled Connecticut wrong." | | | | was able to decode long words simply by sounding |
| She looked at the board and realized he was | | | | out the letters. Was I proud!Daniel considered reading |
| right."Daniel, how did you know it was wrong?" asked | | | | just another game played with his Daddy. He thought it |
| the perplexed teacher."It's because I have a young and | | | | a challenge when I said those oft-spoken words, |
| powerful brain!" Daniel triumphantly replied.His teacher | | | | "sound it out." As a result, after learning phonics, he'd |
| contacted me by phone shortly thereafter, told me | | | | try to read anything. Since no one told him that words |
| what Daniel had said, and asked me how he could | | | | like plethora, obtuse, lethargic, and bellicose, and erudite |
| possibly know about the misspelled word."I told her that | | | | were big words - college level words - he'd tackle |
| when he was almost two years old, I started to teach | | | | them too by sounding them out. Daniel read every |
| him how to read.She was full of more questions. "Why | | | | word in the Best Word Book Ever at least a hundred |
| did you bother to teach him to read? Surely he would | | | | times. "How about the Take Turns Game, Daniel?" I |
| have learned how to read in school at the | | | | would turn to any page in the book and Daniel would |
| developmentally appropriate age."I had no idea what | | | | start reading. He read three words and then I did the |
| she meant by a developmentally appropriate age. All I | | | | same. Or, Daniel would read a full sentence and I |
| knew is that Daniel turned into a superb reader so he | | | | would read the next one. Taking turns reading aloud |
| must have been ready to read. "Maybe yes, maybe | | | | made Daniel want to read - he just had to keep up |
| no," I replied. As I see things, reading is too crucial for | | | | with his Daddy. Little kids, I soon learned, are intensely |
| his success in school and in life to leave to chance. | | | | competitive and adore winning.I did not limit his reading |
| That's why I did the job myself. His education, I hope | | | | material to his kid's books. We also read the |
| you understand, is ultimately my responsibility. Don't you | | | | newspaper, street signs, license plates, recipes - |
| agree?" All I heard in reply to my question was a | | | | anything in print. Daniel wasn't fussy. Being a CPA, I |
| muffled grunt.She continued with a noticeable edge to | | | | was especially proud after he read the first page of a |
| her voice. "Who taught you how to do it? You must | | | | 1040 tax return. "Hey Daddy, what does adjusted |
| be a teacher.""Nah...I am a CPA and no one taught me | | | | gross income mean?"Daniel made lots of mistakes |
| ...all I did was teach him the alphabet, the sounds the | | | | and so, to protect his ego, I invented the mistake game. |
| letters make, and oh yes, I made sure he had tons and | | | | This game enabled him to catch me making a mistake. |
| tons of practice. It was all really very simple. Honest, his | | | | I reasoned that if Daniel saw that his Daddy could |
| brain did most of the work."By the shrillness of her | | | | make a mistake and not have a snit, he'd learn to |
| response, I was sure she was about to deliver a cow. | | | | accept them. It worked.Daniel Let's play the mistake |
| "YOU REALLY TAUGHT HIM PHONICS WHEN HE | | | | game.Me Okay, you go first.Daniel What sound does |
| WAS TWO YEARS OLD?!" She said the word | | | | CH make?Me ShhhhDaniel You made a mistake |
| phonics like it was three day old road kill. This was my | | | | Daddy. Try again.Me Are you sure I made a mistake |
| first indication that there was a problem somewhere | | | | Daniel?Daniel Yes Daddy. A CH makes the CHA |
| with our schools and phonics. It would not be until many | | | | sound.Me You're right! Gosh, are you smart!One of our |
| years later that I'd learn about the bizarre things going | | | | favorites was the "DO IT" game. In order for him to |
| on in reading instruction at our schools.* * *I remember | | | | understand that there is a reason for reading, a |
| the evening I made that fateful decision as though it | | | | message to be understood in everything written. I |
| were yesterday. "I'm going to teach Daniel how to | | | | would print a message on a piece of paper such as |
| read to me!" I hollered to my wife who was watching | | | | "close your eyes and jump up and down." If Daniel |
| television in the next room. Daniel was standing on his | | | | read the instruction and started jumping up and down, I |
| bed, and probably wondered what his silly Daddy was | | | | knew he was reading for comprehension - the only |
| yelling about. He didn't know then, nor did I, how much | | | | reason for reading. He never lost that game.. Some |
| those few words would eventually change our lives. | | | | spelling instruction systems say that it is all right for a |
| Suddenly Daniel's bed became a classroom and I | | | | child to invent his or her own spelling, that sooner or |
| became his first teacher. From that day on, things in | | | | later kids will learn the correct spelling. I didn't buy that |
| our family would never be quite the same.My lack of | | | | invented spelling nonsense. I thought it better for him to |
| teaching experience never bothered me a whit. I never | | | | learn how to spell correctly the first time around than |
| created lesson plans and took every lesson one day | | | | to unlearn the incorrect spelling later.* * *Final results? |
| at a time. I simply relied on old-fashioned common | | | | After investing about 30-40 minutes a night for about |
| sense and trial and error to chart my course. This was | | | | two years, the results were quite gratifying. Daniel |
| nightime learning fun between my son and me. As it | | | | entered kindergarten reading and spelling at the fourth |
| turned out, my total ignorance of current early teaching | | | | or fifth grade level. But even more than that, when he |
| methodology was of crucial importance to my later | | | | was four I had him tested by an educational |
| success. For example, my ignorance kept me away | | | | psychologist who told me Daniel had a genius level IQ |
| from developmentalism. This idiotic philosophy says | | | | of 148.Some people tell me that Daniel could read |
| that it's wrong to teach preschoolers how to read | | | | because he was born super-gifted, unusually bright, a |
| because in some way, it would damage them. Had I | | | | genius. I'd sure like to think that is true, that he inherited |
| known about this, I never would have taught my son | | | | my brainy genes, but I know better. Daniel wasn't born |
| how to read and I would have missed what was the | | | | a genius with anything that millions of other children |
| most joyful experience of my life.The lessons began . . | | | | across the world do not possess. What I did, however, |
| .To start, I began to teach Daniel the basic building | | | | was to make him use it. I did not teach my son how to |
| blocks of reading -- the letters of the alphabet and | | | | read to make him smart. At the time, I had no clue |
| their sounds (phonics). That turned out to be the wisest | | | | about the interesting byproduct of early readng. |
| possible beginning. A friend gave me Richard Scarry's | | | | Learning how to read exercised his brain which acted |
| Best Word Book Ever which has the alphabet on the | | | | like a brain growth catalyst.and made him very smart. |
| first two pages. In the most entertaining ways possible, | | | | The realization of what my teaching had done to my |
| I taught Daniel the alphabet, both lower and upper | | | | son's intellect fascinated me to no end. I had literally |
| case. We practiced and reviewed the letters on those | | | | created high intelligence! This was sure a lot more |
| first two pages for several months, literally branding | | | | interesting than mindlessly filling out tax returns. Why |
| the alphabet and their sounds into Daniel's long-term | | | | didn't I go into education instead of accounting?* * |
| unforgettable memory. Another great aid in teaching | | | | *Soon enough, I became an educational gadfly. I began |
| him the alphabet was the alphabet song. I must have | | | | to put on seminars at continuing adult education |
| sung it with him a million times and he enjoyed it every | | | | centers and even went on radio talk shows to spread |
| time. Unlike adults, little kids love repetition.That's how | | | | the message that we can make our children very |
| they learn best.And so it went. Every day I added a | | | | bright and there was no longer any excuse for school |
| few new letters and constantly reviewed letters | | | | or reading failure. Parents can prevent that . . . that we |
| previously learned. I somehow knew that he had to | | | | parents must get involved in the educational process . . |
| learn the alphabet and their sounds as well as he | | | | . that we are or should become our children's first |
| knew his own name and constant practice and review | | | | teachers.Not everyone, I learned to my surprise, was |
| (drill and practice) was the best way to do it. If there | | | | enthralled with the promise of much higher intelligence |
| was any one key to my success, it was certainly | | | | for their children. I was suddenly at odds with most of |
| constant long term repetitive practice. When I learned | | | | the educational establishment who wanted nothing to |
| that educators speak of drill and practice in disparaging | | | | do with early reading instruction. At first I naively |
| terms, I began to understand why we have a reading | | | | thought educators would embrace my ideas. Was I |
| problem. How could anyone be against long term | | | | wrong about that! Because they thought of me as a |
| practice?I learned quickly that I must not bore him, so I | | | | home schooler in disguise, the educators despised |
| played lots of fun learning games. I laughed and smiled | | | | everything I stood for.Educators spend much of their |
| a lot, celebrated Daniel's triumphs and showed genuine | | | | time dissuading parents from early reading instruction. |
| enthusiasm for his progress. In other words, I joined | | | | They use words like hot housing, developmentally |
| Daniel in his world. It would have been ludicrous for me | | | | inappropriate, elitism, parental pressure, let kids be kids, |
| to expect Daniel to come into my boring and stuffy | | | | and other such self serving nonsense. For the longest |
| adult world. To make things even more interesting, I | | | | time I could not understand why these educators are |
| rarely dwelled on any subject too long. I might start a | | | | so steadfastly against early reading. What can be |
| lesson with a five-minute conversation about the "B" | | | | more harmless than parents teaching reading to their |
| sound and then ask Daniel if water is a liquid, gas or | | | | tots and toddlers? Even more than that, they seem to |
| solid. After that, I might ask him to show me four | | | | downgrade or ignore the vast importance of high |
| fingers on his left hand or even what the ancient | | | | intelligence, as if intelligence does not really matter. |
| Greek Democritis is noted for (he coined the word | | | | They call themselves developmentalists. Watch out for |
| "atom."As the weeks of nightly instruction continued, I | | | | and avoid them like the plague.The following is an |
| discovered, much to my delight, that this teaching | | | | exercise that will tell you why one reason why |
| business was not a chore. Instead, I found myself | | | | educators despise very early academics. Think of |
| eagerly looking forward to the lessons. I was enjoying | | | | twenty poor inner city black kids who were all taught |
| myself enormously and I was fascinated by the speed | | | | to read as I taught my son. Picture them all entering |
| of Daniel's progress. I hadn't yet grasped how | | | | the same kindergarten class. See them all carrying the |
| amazingly fast little kids learn. Of particular enjoyment | | | | newspaper or their favorite computer manual. See the |
| were our Socratic like learning conversations. "Daniel, | | | | teacher who is all prepared to teach these kids the |
| do you know that everything in the world is made of | | | | alphabet with wooden blocks. All the kids are already |
| little bitty things called atoms?" The subjects of these | | | | reading at the fourth grade level. Seeing the disaster |
| conversations varied. Since my two year old had the | | | | before her eyes, what is the teacher to do? |
| whole world to learn about, almost anything that | | | | Whatever she does, she knows she must throw out |
| popped into my head was of value. Needless to say, | | | | the blocks as well as her old timetables. A whole new |
| he reveled in all the one on one attention I lavished on | | | | world was before her eyes.So what would finally |
| him.One of my neighbors who is a teacher warned me | | | | happen? After innumerable meeting and conferences, |
| not to pressure him too much to learn or he might burn | | | | her peers and the powers that be in education would |
| out. I told her that she had the culprits mixed up. I told | | | | have no choice but vastly smarten up the curricula and |
| her, "Once Daniel got a taste of the fun lessons, he | | | | adjust to the children's amazingly high intellects. The |
| pressured me for more and more learning time. He | | | | kids nor their parents would accept anything less. This |
| became utterly relentless!" What started out as fifteen | | | | is how our tots and toddlers will eventually change our |
| minute lessons soon became forty minutes or | | | | educational system.Finally, let me end this on a positive |
| more.Then came the little words . . .the most | | | | note. My thoughts are not focused on my son's |
| commonly used two and three letter words. We | | | | accomplishments. Instead I think about the joyous |
| practiced them until he knew them instantly by sight. | | | | learning times he and I spent together. Sadly I think |
| Count among them: the, I, a, you, is, to, me, he, it, was, | | | | about the fact that such times can never be repeated. |
| can, if, in, are, on, of, and maybe fifty more.Amazingly, | | | | Frankly, I envy those parents who have read this |
| after about four or five months, when the alphabet | | | | article and decide to live that teaching adventure. They |
| with their related sounds and the little words were | | | | will never regret it. |