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I know you are a thinking man. A man who values virtues. A man who swims in the pool of wisdom. So I share a little reflection.

How do you teach a child to read?

Well, there’s a prerequisite; you’re a reader yourself, one who loves to read, who reads well, and desires for those around you to fall in love with the word.

That in place, one can teach.

First, you read to the child, allowing him or her to see the pictures and the words while hearing your voice. A clear, kind, enthusiastic voice.

Second, you have the child follow your finger as you skim the words, allowing the ears to hear the sounds of the alphabet and the phonetic utterances the child is beginning to grasp.

Third, she sits with you attempting to connect the letters, words, and utterances with the images, while you fill in the gaps, spaces, and necessary connections. All the while audibly and visibly full of wonder at her progress.

Fourth, you listen to her read, not based on images but on the letters and words themselves that create images, as the child begins to take command of language. You gently encourage and correct and praise.

Fifth, the child reads to you. You listen with great attentiveness.

Then, you begin to read separately while sitting side by side.

Finally, the child reads on her own, knowing she will never again be alone.

You smile, thinking of the great joy that lies ahead.

You continue to read, endlessly encountering not only the words but the silence from which they spring.

You give great thanks.

—Howard Hain

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