Sept 2024: 'The journey of a parent ... when their child is failed in our public schools ... to learn to read ...

[Debbie_Hepplewhite]

I received this message below from Robin Zikmund, Dyslexia Advocate, which is important to share widely. I agree with, and support, every word in any way I can:

The journey of a parent who experiences the impact when their child is failed in our public schools to effectively be taught to learn to read is one you only truly understand if you have lived it. And one I have committed to doing all I possibly can to help prevent another child and parent to endure.

It is simply unnecessary, and we know this through decades of research on how the brain learns to read. So why are we still failing our children? And, why are we not recognizing the deep impact this failure has on the mental health of our children and beyond.

For me, it's so much bigger than "the reading wars" - for me and so many others, it's personal.

We happily packed our child's school backpack and sent them into a system that not only failed to teach them how to read, but destroyed their self-worth and somehow we, as parents, were left to figure it all out. Why is it my happy, outgoing, confident, bright young child who I sent off to school excited for this new chapter, now comes home from school full of anxiety, physically sick with tummy aches and headaches and emotional scared made to believe he is stupid and at just 9 years old hearing words no parent should hear from their child, "What's wrong with me mom, I just want to kill myself". All because, those making decisions are in a "war" about how to teach all children to learn to read and are choosing to ignore the decades of research on the reading brain.

Literacy is a right and I believe all of society should bring a voice to this. Because even if your child was successfully taught to learn to read, those that are not will be impacted for their entire life and it in turn impacts all of society. If you can't read it impacts, you in every area of your life. Through mental health, our prison population, our homeless. It matters.

We should all take a stand to ensure every child learns to read Not just those with a parent who has the means to fight for their own child. I am in this for the children who do not have a parent who can fight for whatever the reasons. What happens to those children? We can do better.

Thank you for this organization. I support your mission and all that you do.

Robin Zikmund
Dyslexia Advocate

Robin is from the United States.