Learning to read is a major milestone when you are growing up. Recognizing characters, the sounds that they produce, and how they connect into sentences, paragraphs, articles and books represents the entrance into a world of learning that will remain for life.
A reading teacher guides more than instructs. Matching students and subjects to help along the way is an art.
It was a long-ago early October day when my buddy would go over to a box on a shelf, take a piece of paper, return to his desk for a few minutes, absorbed in what he was doing. The rest of the class was sitting on carpet samples, either napping or playing quietly.
Finished with the effort, K. would go up to Ms Graham’s desk, hand in the crayon-marked paper and be given that beatific smile, a very warm and noisy, “Well done!” and a chance to pick a special stamp for a mark on his paper.
He’d come back to his desk with a big grin, beginning the whole process again.
“K, what are you doing?” I said to him a bit later.
“I’m reading!”
“You are not! We haven’t learned about that yet,” I replied.
“It’s easy. Go ask Mrs Graham,” he said.
He went back to his card, crayon and paper. It took a lot for me to get the courage to go up and ask. In return I got that brilliant, beatific smile she had at the ready for these situations. She gave me a card, telling me what I needed to do. That begins the story.
K. and I had a friendly rivalry, trying to see who could get as many stamp marks for work done. The adventure began. First grade was a milestone year. I wrote my first advertisement and she made certain my dad got to see it. Those smiles were infectious. The grandparents were excited when informed.
Reading has carried the day as challenges have been presented, matched and surpassed — and all from an early, joyful intervention by a saintly teacher. She became a hero who continues to guide these many years later.
All of us must carry forward this precious gift. Encourage a person to read. Gift a library card to someone. And challenge each generation to take this gift forward into the unknown.
Ms. Graham, thank you for that inspiration. May grace guide your legacy.
Orpheus Allison is a photojournalist in The County who graduated from UMPI and earned a master of liberal arts degree from the University of North Carolina. He began his journalism career at WAGM television, worked around the U.S., and later changed careers and taught in China and Korea.
