Why credential talk keeps children illiterate while real questions go unanswered.
For more than a decade, I have asked direct questions about why intelligent children fail to read in English while succeeding in languages like Malay and Pinyin. Again and again, the responses I receive from educators and academics are evasive. They speak of expertise, developmental science, or research-based practice — but they rarely, if ever, confront the substance of the questions.
Gatekeeping, Credentials, and the Fear of Accountability
Recap: What They Block
Parts 1 and 2 exposed the profit motives and herd-driven hit squads that silence my evidence-based solutions:
✅ Teaching pure /b/ instead of "buh"
✅ Free lessons over multimillion-dollar curricula
✅ Student success over PAD myths
But the ugliest motive? Gatekeeping.
I made a comment on Facebook stating that I have worked in the accounting and auditing field for most of my adult life. Following that, I received a comment from Suri Charles, who is aware of my previous experience teaching dyslexic children before transitioning to teaching their parents.
Many of the educators on LinkedIn and Twitter ask me for my credentials. So, I thought it best to write and refer them to my post instead of explaining each time I am asked.
I wonder if what is in the image above can be part of my credential in that I am able to think what has never been thought before about what we see every day.
It must be part of my credentials as even when I explain it to others they are unable to see it.
To date many educators who read my book Shut Down Kids which describes why kids are unable to read in English but can read in Malay and Pinyin can't accept the reasons I have detailed as to why kids shut down from learning to read. You may read the book reviews.
