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