When I read this headline I was very curious, as I’m sure you are too, as to how this was possible. The teacher shares their story so as to encourage anyone who is having difficulty learning to read, write and spell, that they can learn given the right help. Here is a summary of his story…
The teacher’s name is John Corcoran. Until he was 4 8, he had a reading age of a 6 year old. He managed to graduate from an American high school and college, and to work as a high school teacher and real estate developer without it ever being discovered that he couldn’t read or write very well.
Christine Hawkins
Owner KMEC Hunter
He has since then learnt to read, written a book called ‘The Teacher Who Couldn’t Read’, and now shares his story to help others learn the joy that being able to read can bring into their lives.
In an interview with BBC News, John explains how he became a teacher. He doesn’t go into the details but he was certainly not proud of how he achieved this goal. We can only guess at the amount of lying and cheating he would have had to have done and wonder at the amount of energy and intelligence it would have taken to fool those around him for all that time.
He goes on to say: “When I could read, the whole world of learning opened up to me. No matter how smart or clever a person is, there’s no way to maximize his or her fullest potential without knowing how to read. We learn to read so that we can read to learn. Teaching a child to read is the most important skill necessary for equal opportunity in the classroom and the workplace.”
Here is the link BBC News Interview, if you would like to read more.
This story highlights to me that our children have a human right to an Education system that ensures they receive the help they need to be able to read and write well.
