Speed Reading

For the last couple of months, I’ve been teaching my grandson to read. I’d promised him I’d teach him but was stalling until he was interested enough to pay attention. But when he grew tired of waiting and started trying to teach himself, I figured he was ready. So, we started the lessons.

It was a little slow going at first, introducing him to all the letters and sounds but he has a very good memory so things started falling into place. He was doing well and every few days I’d add another letter—or two.

After a month or so, we were progressing well. Or, so I thought. Then I overheard him tell his Grandma that “Grandpa is a good teacher; he’s just really slow.”

“What do you mean I’m slow?” I asked, pretending I was offended.

Unfazed, and with a roll of his eyes, he said, “We’ve had a LOT of lessons and I still can’t read.”

Somehow, he’d gotten the idea that I was supposed to just tell him all the rules and he’d instantly be able to read.

I tried explaining that it would take a while; that there were a lot of letters and a lot of rules.

“And it’s too hard for you to remember all of them at once?” he asked.

Sure, that’s it.

The child has since had a birthday and as he tells me at almost every lesson, he’s now five. The significance of that is, as he makes sure I know, I’ve been teaching him since he was four and in his mind, that’s a whole year. And still, he can’t read.

Except he can—a little. Of course, that’s not good enough. He wants to be able to read books and everything else. I’ve assured he’ll get there—eventually. Although, eventually would come much sooner if Grandpa wasn’t so slow! ~

Bruce A. Borders is the author of more than a dozen books, including: Inside Room 913, Over My Dead Body, The Journey, Miscarriage Of Justice, The Lana Denae Mysteries, and The Wynn Garrett Series. Available in ebook at www.amazon.com/Bruce-A.-Borders/e/B006SOLWQS and paperback on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million.