It's just like the weather -- people agonize over it, experts
analyze it, conferences discuss it, but no one seems able to
do anything about it.
What is "it"?
"It" is the low level of reading skill in schools today, a
level which is steadily dropping. Many new words have been
coined to disguise this fact -- children may be called
dyslexic, learning disabled, comprehension-challenged, but
what it all boils down to is: The kid can't read!
Why?
Children are starting school at an earlier and earlier age.
Shouldn't they be able to read better, especially with all
the colorful primers, computers and audio- visual aids
available today? But the present situation suggests a truth
that should be shouted from the rooftops, that deserves
discussion among educators at every level and in every
subject: The too-early teaching of children who are not yet
ready to learn has resulted in a nation of illiterates in the
real meaning of the word: unable to read.
Yes, there are thousands of children (who become adults) in
every community who have never learned to read well, and as a
result, will be handicapped all their lives.
Reading skill is a most complex combination of many processes
-- mental, physical and even emotional. For most children,
the point of maturity is age six -- an age at which they can
learn to read with a minimum of effort and without the high
rate of failure apparent in students who are pulled and
pushed to master reading when they are not yet ready.
R' Zvi Zobin recently wrote, "Until about thirty years ago,
children started to learn the alef-bais when they were
five years old. In Frankfurt-am-Main, before World War II,
the Orthodox school started to teach reading when the child
was seven years old, when the physiological development of
the brain is finally completed."
This pattern has been followed for thousands of years with
great success. Not in vain are Jews called the People of the
Book. The ability to read, and therefore to write, and to
transmit knowledge to future generations, has been nurtured
and sustained by a system formed by our greatest Sages, who
devoted much thought to this most vital subject.
The Rambam suggests age seven as the ideal time to begin
educating a child. In Hilchos Talmud Torah (1:6), he
writes, "When is the father obligated to teach his son Torah?
Not until he is six or seven years old. Then he brings him to
a teacher." And again, in Chapter 2:2, he writes, "Bring him
at age six or seven, according to his strength. Before that,
he should not be brought."
In Menoras Hamaor we find, quoting Rav to Rav Shmuel
ben Sheylas: "Do not accept children below the age of six,
but from that age and above, accept them and imbue them with
the Torah as you would feed a hungry ox" (Bava Basra
21a).
Rav said: "Whoever brings his son to study Torah before the
age of six will find his efforts to sustain the health of the
child unsuccessful" (Kesubos 50a).
What do we find today? Children are sent out of the
sheltering home environment at age three or four, and
sometimes even earlier, and forced into a situation for which
they are not ready. We seem to have forgotten that a three-
year-old is still a baby in many ways. It was only a short
time ago that the child acquired the skill of walking,
talking and controlling physical functions, of the
coordination of brain, eye and hand essential to reading
readiness. Now he has to compete, and often fails...
The ability to tie a bow contains many of the elements needed
for reading readiness, but we would consider it a very
foolish parent or teacher who would spend days, weeks and
months trying to teach a four-year-old to tie a passable bow,
since we know that most children can do so easily at age
seven or eight. Why, then, are children expected to learn
reading before they are ready?
What are some of the obvious results of too early or too
intensive schooling?
1. Those of average ability, which, of course, includes most
children, are already considered failures by their parents,
teachers and worst of all, themselves, before they even begin
to learn.
A five-year-old who has not yet mastered the alphabet is made
to feel that he is stupid, that he will never know anything,
often a self-fulfilling prophecy. A precocious child who has
learned to read on his own may receive so much praise for his
`accomplishment' that he remains content to coast along,
taking the easy way out, never putting forth the effort
needed to attain real knowledge. And being able to read is
not the same as understanding the material! But students who
are not taught reading at the right time, usually too early,
many never be able to catch up.
2. The ability to read is so basic to the learning process
that a child who has not acquired it in the beginning, will
be handicapped forever. All learning, whether Torah or,
lehavdil, secular subjects, depends on being literate.
Children who may be intelligent, creative, eager to know,
often fall further and further behind because they cannot
read well. Who has not encountered a Bar Mitzva boy who
cannot make kiddush correctly or say kriyas
shema? Or adults who are unable to read directions or
fill out a job application?
Of course, there'll always be stories like that of Yankel,
the poor immigrant who applied for a job as shammos at
the Second Street shul.
"Can you read and write English?" he was asked.
"No."
"Sorry, for this job you have to be able to write."
So poor Yankel became a peddler. Later, he opened a little
dry goods store which grew into a mighty chain of departments
stores, and Yankel became tremendously wealthy. When he
concluded a multi-million dollar deal by signing the check
with an X, the bank's president was astonished.
"You can't write? Imagine where you'd be today if you'd have
learned to write English!"
"Why, I'd be shammos in the Second Street
shul..."
Such a story, whether it is true or not, is always good for a
laugh. Yes, there'll be a success story of someone who rose
to the top in spite of being illiterate, but for each such
case, there are thousands who went under.
3. If the child is not taught reading at the right time, when
fully ready, it is almost impossible to catch up later. The
teacher of first grade or kindergarten is pressured by
parents and principal to cover ground, to follow the
curriculum. One cannot take time out for the child who
doesn't quite get it -- and by second or third grade it is
too late.
R' Zobin writes, "A typical seven-year-old can pick up in a
short while all the siddur and Chumash
that other children learn between ages three to seven." In
the heyday of the American Talmud Torah, the after- public-
school Jewish studies classes, eight-year-olds learned to
read Hebrew quickly, spending only a few hours a week on the
subject after a long school day... because they were
ready.
Miss R., a young day school teacher, valiantly resisted
orders to begin siddur before all the children in the
class were able to read. It paid off -- her former pupils all
have beautiful command of Hebrew and are eager students as
grown-ups, too. Today, as Morah B., she's still doing an
excellent job.
4. The fear of failure induced by inability to read affects a
person's whole life. As Rabbi Yosef Strassfeld wrote in the
Jewish Observer, such people are constantly covering
up, sometimes successfully, but usually at tremendous cost to
their self-esteem, stability and to their future.
5. Why are there so many children today diagnosed as dyslexic
or learning disabled? Why are special schools for these
`special children' proliferating on all sides? Thirty, forty
and fifty years ago, there were no experts, computers or
special programs for dyslexic children, but there were also
very few children who couldn't learn to read!
A mother wrote the following pathetic letter in response to
an article on this very subject:
"My son, who is now 34, was diagnosed as dyslexic at age 6,
by top professionals. This did not help him any, since the
word `dyslexic' simply means `unable to read,' a fact of
which we were all too aware. He went from grade to grade in
yeshiva, always at the bottom of the class, always covering
up by memorizing and always frustrated and unhappy.
"In Mesivta High School -- no change. We moved to Israel and
he eventually found work which did not require reading. He
got married and had a child. When his little boy, aged four,
asked, `Abba, can you help me with my reading?' his father
decided it was `now or never.' He contacted a specialist in
reading problems and lo and behold -- within a short time he
was reading! No more faking the davening; no more
shame at being unable to read simple directions. His lifetime
problem was solved!"
But not everyone is so lucky. Many are plagued all their
lives by having been diagnosed as dyslexic or anything from
ADD to ADHD. It is often not the teacher's fault.
There may be environmental factors at work here. Perhaps it
is the food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe --
all have an effect on the body and brain. Although these
times seem financially and emotionally more secure than
Depression and Holocaust years, children today seem to lack
the stability bestowed by a warm home environment.
Rabbi Menachem Weldler z'l told of a student, who
performed excellently in the morning session but who failed
in the afternoons. It was discovered that he was in dread of
going home; he worried how his mother would treat him. Would
she smile at him and greet him lovingly, or would she yell at
him in anger? His mind was so filled with anxiety that he was
unable to learn all afternoon.
As Rabbi Weldler said, "A pot packed with earth to the brim
does not have room for the roots to grow. A head full of
negative emotions does not allow room for any learning..."
There are many difficult home situations such as poverty,
conflict, illness, that have a negative effect on learning,
but it was always thus. Children have lived through war,
bombings, even loss of home and family, yet continued to
learn. Being unable to keep up, being subjected to criticism
and ridicule, feeling ignored and ignorant -- these are the
factors leading to failure.
WHAT CAN BE DONE?
We can return to the age-old system of teaching reading when
the child is ready -- not before age five for most. Children
who have mastered reading on their own can be put in a
somewhat older class if they fit in, physcially and
emotionally. If this is not an option, they can be given
stimulation by assigning extra interesting subjects, and by
making them `teacher's assistant' by helping weaker
students.
As Rav also said to Rav Shmuel ben Sheylas, "If a student
doesn't respond, pair him with a more diligent study partner"
(Bava Basra 21a). This produces excellent results for
tutor, tutored and teacher.
Grouping Pre 1A and first grade students according to ability
as perceived by the teacher or by testing is often counter-
productive, since children are certainly aware of being in
the slow lane.
A second grader came home crying, "I was a Bluebird, and now
the teacher made me a Robin."
"What's wrong with that? Robins are just as pretty," said her
mother.
"Oh, Ma, Robins are dummies. That means I'm a dope."
And once the label is applied, it is almost impossible to
remove. The old label sticks forever, while the child changes
and grows, but no one notices.
Teachers must pay special attention to those who are slower
to catch on -- praise for accomplishment, small rewards, even
a loving smile can work miracles. As a general rule, an extra
two or three months spent on reading proficiency in the first
grade will produce rewards for a lifetime. A child who does
not catch on by age seven, the right starting age, according
to many experts, should be interviewed, not tested, by one
who is knowledgeable in related fields.
After months of futile struggling, a seven-year-old was found
to need glasses, another was partially deaf, and a third was
so tired she couldn't keep her eyes open. A fourth who seemed
unusually advanced in most ways just `didn't catch on.' Due
to a series of illnesses, he had been absent at the crucial
beginning, but the teacher never noticed, while the parents
never said anything. When appropriate corrections were made,
the reading skills of these pupils improved dramatically.
Multiple choice tests would never have revealed these
problems. When necessary, private or group tutoring should
be provided in a tactful and non-judgmental manner,
preferably not by parents. An older brother or sister or
young neighbor can often be of help; if necessary,
professional help should be sought as early as possible.
But it is never too late to learn, and acquiring basic
reading skills can change a person's life for the better.
New hope for yeshiva and Bais Yaakov dropouts, and for
unhappy, alienated youth, is offered by innovative programs
such as "Outside the Framework" by Rabbi Zobin (02-5373340)
and Rabbi Weber (02-5000028). But a concerted effort by
teachers, parents and schools is needed, starting NOW, to
prevent these problems from arising in the first place. By
taking appropriate action at the right time, in the right
way, parents and schools can save themselves a tremendous
amount of headaches, heartaches and -- yes -- money, too.
Children will gain not only knowledge, not only self- esteem,
but a happier and brighter future.
Mrs. Mashinsky was a teacher and principal of a large
school for many years. She has written extensively about
education and Jewish history. Her latest book is Chance
Encounters (ArtScroll).
