I began teaching school in 1970 and was assigned grade 7-9
classes. It was exhilarating to have a
few hundred students, 30 at a time and to try to make English and French,
creative writing and health interesting.
Yet I noticed that a few each year always fell between the cracks, were
not having a success experience at school and the problem was usually that they
were not reading well. Problems reading
held them back in nearly every subject, even in the written tests for physical
education.
Not being able to
read well was also pretty hard on their self-esteem and to hide their problem a
few by grade 7 were acting up in class and by grade 9 were dropping out.
We have done a lot to try to fix that over the years but the
memory of the heartbreak some kids had stayed with me.
A few years later when I had my own children, I noticed how
logically toddlers' brains worked.
Maybe there was a window there I could use to ensure that for them school would
be a positive experience. I watched closely how they named their toys, how
logically they spoke. It occurred to me how difficult reading must seem to
someone who expects such logic.
I had the idea of
introducing letters simply as new toys, a new one a day and creating stories to
explain the shape and sound of each
letter. I wanted to enter the child's world and make each letter a character
with a personality. If I showed English at its logical best, maybe I could help
my kids transition into putting those letters into words in a way as natural as
learning to walk. It worked.
The gentle lessons have been sold in workbook and DVD form for some time. My children even acted in the films when they were young, and my brother-in-law filmed it, edited the film and added animation. I called the method Anchors and Sails. My slogan is "We give children anchors of love and affection. We give them sails when we teach them to read".
The gentle lessons have been sold in workbook and DVD form for some time. My children even acted in the films when they were young, and my brother-in-law filmed it, edited the film and added animation. I called the method Anchors and Sails. My slogan is "We give children anchors of love and affection. We give them sails when we teach them to read".
I tutored the course
for neighborhood kids and then got orders for it from parents, grandparents,
childcare centres, nurseries all around the country and then into the US, the UK and China. Early graduates are now adult, many reporting back very positive
school and career experiences. My own four children who took this course are
now in professions of journalism, medicine and law.
Now that the method has a great track record, and because I
am a grandma, I have decided to put the whole alphabet course online for
free. It is filmed in 27 short lessons
each 3-5 minutes long.
I call this online version "Nana explains the
letters".
The method is unique, moving gently to teach all the letters and giving skills to sound out hundreds of words. It is a resource parents, grandparents, nursery schools and childcare centres may appreciate.
Enjoy!
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