It would take a genius

 

                   How could a guy who could not read become an advisor to the US President?

Those with a vested interest have ensured that geniuses are flushed out of the school system as functional illiterates.

Only a genius could have conned the world into being a teacher for 17 years without knowing how to read.

You may listen to the YouTube video here.

Here are extracts about John Corcoran.

CEO of John Corcoran Foundation Inc. and Education Management Consultant

Oceanside, California, United States

This man held onto the ultimate secret — graduating college, becoming a self-made millionaire, and teaching students for 17 years without knowing how to read.

His profile says:

My passion for a literate America developed after not learning to read until the age of 48. My first book, The Teacher Who Couldn't Read, is a memoir of my life as a functional illiterate and The Bridge to Literacy offers research-based solutions for the epidemic of illiteracy in America and also includes in-depth interviews with experts, researchers, educators, policymakers, and other struggling readers like me. (See note 1 below)

I am currently the President of the non-profit John Corcoran Foundation whose mission is to facilitate the prevention and eradication of illiteracy in adults and children across America, through a specialized, effective and proven training and tutoring program, as well as the creation and dissemination of relevant and targeted literacy resources and enhanced public awareness.

How could anyone graduate from college without knowing how to read?

I graduated from college without knowing how to read, write, or spell. I was illiterate/sub-literate. I graduated from college because I cheated my way through the system. I take full responsibility for all my actions. Being dishonest and deceitful has always been a moral dilemma for me, telling my story has certainly been embarrassing and shameful at times, but my journey from deceit to truth has been a blessing. It is a story that may ruffle many people’s feathers, but it may also help America to focus on its illiteracy/sub-literacy epidemic and take action to prevent and eradicate it.

Here is more from another website.

He is severely dyslexic and read at a second-grade level until the age of 48. Despite this, he graduated from high school and college, and worked as a high school teacher and real estate developer without being discovered.

He switched schools but continued as a teacher for 17 years before becoming a real estate developer in 1977.

He created the John Corcoran Foundation, which trains tutors and helps students learn to read.

In The Bridge to Literacy: No Child Or Adult Left Behind, Corcoran uncovers the crisis state of illiteracy in America and shares a vision of hope for millions of people who lack basic reading and writing skills (Corcoran’s first book, The Teacher Who Couldn’t Read, sold more than 50,000 units, including hardcover, paperback, and books on tape).

 

Bridge to Literacy comes at a critical time. In 2007, Congress will consider reauthorizing the sweeping federal education reform known as the No Child Left Behind Act, which received strong bipartisan support when first enacted in 2002. With 2014 set as the deadline to close the gap on achievement tests, many school districts have failed to show measurable progress particularly for underprivileged and minority students. The debate over reauthorizing the Act will touch off bitter debate, particularly given the opposition of the National Education Association (NEA). Rather than become discouraged or abandon the education reforms, the author believes that school districts, teachers, policymakers, parents, and importantly institutions of higher education that train teachers must redouble their efforts to commit to the goals of No Child Left Behind.

 

The following is extracted from an article found here.

I bought into the biggest lie that was ever told about me: that something was wrong with my brain. And I think there are a lot of little children right now that are getting that message.

Quit calling us learning disabled. I was never learning disabled. I was able, and I learned. The truth is, it’s never too late to learn to read. And our brains are capable.

This is a miracle to me. And I prayed for that miracle when I was 8 years old.

And I didn't get it until I was 48 years old.

Note: If the ‘Bridge to Literacy’ offers research-based solutions for the epidemic of illiteracy in America and also includes in-depth interviews with experts, researchers, educators, policymakers, and other struggling readers like him, then John Corcoran has to explain why the percentage of kids leaving school as illiterates has remained the same for decades.