Consider evidence that contradicts your beliefs.

 

The image above and its message resonate deeply with me, especially in the field of reading instruction and dyslexia

"You must always be willing to truly consider evidence that contradicts

your beliefs, and admit the possibility that you may be wrong.

Intelligence isn't knowing everything, it's the ability to challenge

everything you know."

Far too often, the opposite happens. Once an idea becomes widespread and accepted—whether it's the overemphasis on phonological deficits as the core cause of reading struggles, or teaching letter sounds with extraneous noises (like adding a schwa to consonants)—it sinks into the collective mind and becomes nearly impossible to dislodge.

I've seen this rigidity firsthand with prominent experts. I've emailed and engaged with people like David Boulton (of Children of the Code) and Timothy Shanahan, sharing practical observations from decades of one-on-one tutoring dyslexic children. When bright kids misbehave or shut down, it's frequently shame avoidance: they don't want to look stupid when they can't read while others can. Teach them precise letter-sound correspondence without confusing extras, help them blend accurately, and the shame lifts, misbehavior drops, and confident reading emerges. Yet these real-world results are often dismissed as "anecdotal" or not "researched" enough.

David Boulton blocked me on LinkedIn after I pointed out how certain recommended videos caused disengagement in kids. Timothy Shanahan has waved away successes with dozens of students as not globally applicable. The stance seems to be: if it hasn't been proven in large-scale studies, it doesn't count—even when common sense, student transformations, and logical pedagogy show otherwise.

This isn't about rejecting research; it's about intellectual humility. True intelligence means challenging entrenched beliefs, considering contradictory evidence (including practitioner insights), and admitting we might be wrong. When experts refuse to engage with alternative explanations that contradict the dominant narrative, progress stalls—for teachers, for struggling students, and for the field.

In my blog posts, I've documented these patterns and the shame cycle in detail:

Knowledge vs Wisdom – on how knowledge without wisdom leads to closed minds 

Empirical Evidence – on reaching out to these experts and the dismissal of practical evidence 

Shame Avoidance – the root of much misbehavior in intelligent kids

 

Widespread ideas are powerful, but they aren't always correct. Let's commit to the quote's spirit: challenge everything, stay open, and prioritize student outcomes over dogma.

And here's a question that keeps coming up for me:

Why wouldn't parents of kids who spend hundreds (often thousands) of dollars on private assessments, specialist tuition, speech therapy, occupational therapy, educational psychologists, after-school programs, assistive technology, and endless tutoring sessions—still hesitate to buy a simple, affordable book like "Teach Your Child to Read" that has proven to help many parents teach their children successfully at home?

When the stakes are this high—academic confidence, emotional well-being, avoiding years of shame and struggle—why not try a low-risk, high-reward option that empowers parents directly and has worked for countless families? Especially when the alternative is continuing to pour money into systems that often treat symptoms rather than root causes.