God gave me permission to attend a film on Dyslexia at the new San Diego Library. On this Saturday, I did not observe the Jewish Sabbath. Three significant others have had their lives compromised by this Dyslexia. But unknowingly I already had taught hundreds with this anomaly on how to read. I taught my non-readers a different way, and not the silent way that so many educators have always used. What I didn't know was that Edison, Einstein, Schwarzenegger and many others also suffered with it. Up to thirty million in the U.S. suffer from it today.
Earlier, I had taken the Orange Trolley to Park and Market. It dropped below Tenth Avenue and Park. My stomach requested a breakfast burrito from Lolita's. The ball park restaurant sits nest to Petco Park. I felt dull but relaxed from my night of dancing at the Balboa Park Ballroom.
I just love the setting. Outside the windows, my eyes caught the sight of the majestic Petco Park. A Padre player pitched a corker, and a one hit game. Of course they won six to zero. With coffee and a burrito energizing me I walked a block to the library and entered the auditorium.
The movie reinforced what I had already known. Those with Dyslexia are gifted. Yes gifted and I should know. So what is the problem: our educational system, that is the problem. To save money, they ignored it.. Our government has swept these kids under the carpet. Those in charge did not wish to spend extra money. They placed many of these kids into Special Training classes. (I taught these classes for my first four years.)
The outgrowth of their neglect caused most to have inferiority complexes. Too scared of failure, they developed ADD and other symptoms. But the damage by neglect had been done. My platform is education. I began a Reading Action Committee in the early 70's at a junior high in East Los Angeles. over 50 percent of our jail inmates can't read. But at our junior high school, we established the first reading department. Everyone, including the janitor, taught our students how to read.
Our CTBS scores jumped from the fourth percentile up to twenty four in two years. Why even the P.E. teachers had to teach reading. Several like Jessie Franco wrote the proposal that was signed by our principal and later Supervisor Handler of the L.A. Unified School District. (Handler's sister Ruth began Mattel and was a good friend of my Mom. They began with Jack-in-the-Box in their garage. Ruth was a bridesmaid at her wedding.)
What a shame we suffered in silence. We knew nothing about it then, but even now do little. I did, not by having them read silently, but by having them read orally in class. Without knowing it, I taught all the gifted ones to read.
Each of my classes read orally for one year. At the close of the term, those with Dyslexia refused to leave my classroom. My game plan was too reward students with licorice, suckers, or kisses. They loved it and those who kept their place in our readers soon had no trouble following.
But our government must spend more for effective teachers, supporting parents, and effective ways to teach these gifted students. Later in life, their low self esteem manifested in many mental ailments such as ADD, Bipolar and etc. I should know. My first day in school was 1944. It was there I found out I was dumb. My head wore a dead left eye and my two front teeth had not arrived. I was a nail bitter so from there I became frightened to speak-with a pronounced lisp.
Fortunately, my Mom Edith paid for a orthodontist and also and eye doctor. I would have been dead by now if not for Mom.
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