Listen to the YouTube of David. LINK
The following is extracted from this website with my thoughts.
By 62, David Chalk had seen it all. While David conquered the world, he never managed to achieve the only thing he always had truly wanted, To Read Fluently.
He was a popular media personality, had built his business empire, made millions, was awarded a doctorate in technology by the University of the Fraser Valley for holding the world's only true patent in cyber security and was described as having a brilliantly gifted mind.
My thoughts:
I have repeatedly said that my so-called dyslexic students are smart kids. They have done exceptionally well in schools and Universities.
David entered school full of wonder and with a desire to learn like every other child, only to be crushed by a system that wasn't designed to support a struggling child who gave it all he could.
My thoughts:
Like David, many students start school full of excitement and a desire to learn.
However, as
David says above, they get crushed by a system that doesn’t support struggling
students.
I have crossed out the word struggling as they start struggling after they are taught sounds of the letters that don’t make sense.
Many go to school full of confidence and self-esteem and lose it in school. The educational system often fails to nurture these bright individuals, leading to feelings of inadequacy.
David often came home from school crying, humiliated, and begging not to go back the next day.
My thoughts:
Isn’t this what most of my students did? Read what Alanna Maurin said about her son. She complained that he had stomach aches every time it was time to go to school. But the stomach aches stopped the moment he could read. Physical symptoms often arise from the stress of being unable to read.
Don't forget, Alanna's son was keen on reading after his pronunciation of sounds of the letters was corrected and after only 2 lessons in my book.
However, his mother saw the brilliant child that he was.
My thoughts:
David's mother's belief in his potential is crucial. This support is similar to the stories of other successful figures like Edison and Tom Cruise, who attribute their achievements to their mothers' unwavering faith in them. Alana Maurin’s unwavering faith in her son made her plead for help on Twitter in December 2020.
A few months later, a letter came in the mail from the Dean of Engineering saying I had an honorary scholarship to engineering because I had solved a problem that no person applying at the university had ever solved before.
My thoughts:
Someday some university may decide to give me an honorary degree for identifying why many kids can’t read. Hahaha! Do I need one? Identifying the underlying causes of reading difficulties is vital, even if it goes unacknowledged by formal institutions.
My IQ was higher than well above average, but I had scored terribly on reading comprehension, spelling, and writing. They said it was the most challenging case that was recorded that they had ever tested."
My thoughts:
My only student who did an IQ test had an IQ of 130 and couldn’t read when he came to me in grade four. So, IQ tests not being indicative of reading skills. A high IQ does not ensure literacy and many intelligent individuals struggle with reading due to insufficient teaching methods, much like my student with an IQ of 130. LINK
David's journey underscores the need for educational reforms that focus on effective instruction at the foundation level.
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