No wonder we have so many students who seemingly can't read! I had never really thought about the reading process. I have always been a strong reader and couldn't quite understand those people who did not like reading. My eyes have been opened.
I recently had one of my students who has a learning disability get very frustrated. He was one of my students who had been given an iPad to help him with his school work. He said that it was nice to get an iPad, but when was someone going to try and teach him how to read. I can not even begin to imagine the frustration that someone must feel sitting in a high school classroom and not being able to read. This students obviously desperately wants to know how and is not satisfied with the compensatory strategies that he has been given--he wants the real thing. Unfortunately, as a high school teacher, I have no idea how to teach someone how to read--especially someone who has an LD.
You don't realize how lucky you are if you can read. I know I take it for granted. It is a complicated process and if even one thing goes wrong, reading can become exponentially more difficult. As I watch my own son (almost two years old) start to talk and string sentences together I am becoming obsessed with the process of language acquisition and reading. He loves books and I hope that he does not have trouble learning to read. As a teacher, I know how important it is for a kid to be a good reader.
This is a video about Ron McCallum who is blind. In this TED talk, he talks about how he was born at the right place and time because he was able to take advantage of new technologies that have enabled him to read and to become a very successful person. I love that he shows the progression is the technologies that have helped him. It also shows the importance of reading and how important it is to make is as accessible as possible for everyone.
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