“Slow” Readers

Our society is quick to recognize and applaud those who read early and those who read quickly. Sadly, that ability is too easily misconstrued as evidence of higher IQ and, equally damaging, greater maturity.  Too often, young children are “tracked” into classes based on their ability to read (aloud). Traditionally, early readers often skipped entire grades, only to run into unexpected walls later in their educational careers. It’s an easy assumption; If a child can read words aloud, s/he must be smart. And, of course, the converse: Slow readers must be, well, slow…

True teachers learn to recognize that trap with the help of students who are thoughtful, articulate, insightful, patient, and not necessarily speedy readers. I had such help early in my career, though it took Alexandra Smith, in my 6^th grade homeroom, to fully open my eyes. Alexandra was a brilliant young woman in many ways. When one considers multiple intelligences, her scores on any athletic field, her EQ, and her logic were tops. She was not a fast reader. She rarely raised her hand.  Not surprising, given that a majority of teachers (at that time, at least) generally called on the first hands raised. Judging from previous report cards, teachers liked Alexandra – she was no trouble, after all – but none recognized her potential.

For reasons I cannot recall, I started calling on Alexandra. Sometimes giving her advance notice (“Zander,  tomorrow I’m going to ask you what you think about X.”); sometimes not. Her answers were stunning: detailed, supported, connecting dots few others had even seen. Zander was a “slow reader” because she read every word and thought about them all. She remains one of the most thoughtful and insightful students I’ve ever had in class.

We have so much to learn from our students. Ask kiddos how they learn best, and they will tell you. Pay attention. Give everyone time to process. Listen to the levels on which they think. Set the expectation in your classrooms that you are not looking for speed; you are looking for insight and logic, thought and questions.

My granddaughter has not had an easy time learning to read. She is quick, curious, uses a stunning vocabulary, can reason with the best of them. But reading is hard, and she is self-conscious of that. Fortunately, she has been blessed by a school and teachers who recognized both her strengths and her challenges early on. She has not been tracked or typed. She does receive helpful one-on-one time. Her parents support and applaud her for who she is. Were you to have a conversation with her, you would never guess that reading has been difficult. She speaks using sentence structure, grammar, and vocabularly that suggest a much older child. Thank goodness she is recognized and appreciated for who  and what she is, not who and what she isn’t.