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When
I see how thick the metal doors are, and when I hear them slam with
that finality, I know I’m truly in jail. The difference, of course,
is that I can walk out again.
And that’s probably because of my upbringing.
It included books by the hundreds and parents who were avid readers.
When I met my students, it was clear their childhood did not include
shelves of books, a parent lovingly reading to them at bedtime, or any
emphasis on education. They are lucky to be alive, much less reading.
So the first obstacle is teaching them
that reading is fun.
“What?”
“You’re kidding.”
“C’mon.”
And the first “rule” I establish is to
read only what they want, how much they want, to skip over the confusing
or dull parts, and to (gasp!) put the darn thing down if they want.
That shocked Darlene, Joyce and Michael.
It never occurred to them they didn’t have to plow through every single
word. Michael especially repeated, “This is fun!” with a kind of amazement.
How sad that as children, the written word became a source of pain and
drudgery and frustration.
The second obstacle has been their own
lack of confidence. Darlene could write very well, even poetry. Her
impassioned statements were eloquent and moving. But no one had ever
told her they were. Joyce was equally adept at reading. Once she realized
it, her dream of becoming an inspirational speaker didn’t seem so far-fetched.
Michael had faked reading for so long he was amazed that he could figure
out the words for real. He didn’t quite believe me when I said he was
making progress, but he finally realized it himself.
The last problem is what happens next.
I only had a few weeks with each student. I encouraged all three to
contact Project Read on the outside, as well as City College. I turned
Michael onto reading the sex column “Savage Love” in the San Francisco
Weekly, knowing he could find it on the street every week and practice
his reading for free—and knowing that he’d identify with the funny,
frank and gay writer.
I hope all three continue with their reading,
and that being able to translate the world around them will help them
stay out of jail, for good.
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