Last week, I stumbled across this video interview on the web.
When I describe it to my students, I just tell them that it's an interview with a man in his late 60s. I tell them of these highlights:
Back in the 1950s, "I dreaded going to school."
Teachers "didn't quite understand why I was so behind the rest of the class in my reading skills."
"...all they could do is assume that I wasn't studying hard enough, wasn't reading hard enough, that I was perhaps lazy."
When I was a kid, "I wish I had somebody helping me to understand that there were many, many others like me."
"I'm in a business right now where reading is very important."
"I just know I'm still slow in reading, but I've learned to adjust."
When I tell this story to my students, their demeanor softens. They perceive this as a sad story. When I ask what they think, they talk about how their lives are just as hard. ... and frustrating. ... and demeaning.
When I tell them who it is in the interview,
they arespeechless!
...and my point has been made.
Re-read the quotes, above, and think about them for a few minutes, before you watch the interview:
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