Originally published April 12, 2011
At the wise old age of 6 I decided that I had no need to learn to read. I was determined not to waste my time learning to read. My mom was equally determined that I was going to learn to read.
Reading, writing and basic computational skills are considered essential components of a good education. Of these three reading is the most important. Reading is the foundation upon which other academic skills are built. Mastery of reading skills in the primary grades has often been considered a good predictor of future academic success. The content subjects like history and science rely heavily upon the ability read, synthesize, analyzes and process information.
Not only did I learn to read but I became a reader. I discovered that reading opened the doors to the amazing world of books. Through reading, I have explored the world, relived important historical events, and experienced many other wonderful adventures. A little secret my mom shared was that if you can read, you can learn to do anything. I have learned how to cook, scrapbooking techniques, make home repairs, and even program a web page by reading. In fact, most of my hobbies I have learned by reading. Educationally, reading is the great equalizer. It can provide a well-rounded education regardless of the availability of formal educational opportunities.
April 2026: When I taught elementary reading, I often had parents who chose to skip the 15 minutes of nightly reading time. Many times, the reason given was that their child fussed too much about reading. The parents often were surprised when I wouldn’t accept that reason. I was told that because I didn’t have children, I didn’t understand. I did understand at least from the child’s perspective.
Due to my dyslexia, learning to read was extremely painful and challenging. The experts said I would probably never learn to read. My mom said I would learn to read. From kindergarten through 3rd grade, Mom and I spent time each night on the sofa practicing reading. Toward the end of kindergarten and first grade, it was a rather challenging time for both of us. I would cry because it was so hard. Mom would patiently help me with words. Sounding out words didn’t really work for me due to my learning disabilities. My brain didn’t connect the sounds and letters. My second-grade enjoyed our nightly reading time. By the end of third grade, I was reading on a 5th to 6th grade level. Our reading time changed because I would often finish the book on my own instead of waiting to read another chapter the next night.
The Dee Zone 