Literacy Takes Time

Sometimes we complain that we or a student is not making progress in English, mathematics, or even music. Apathy, irritation, and tempers seem to rise at unexpected moments, disrupting learning. In three paragraphs, I hope to put your mind, regarding this frustration, at ease.

More than once, I've faced leaking eyes. The student didn't mean to cry. (I've been there over math, I understand those tears.) The bottom line: not every person is prepared for change. Not every child is prepared to move from ignorance to knowing. Some individuals cannot take the force of change. Those are often the children who cry outside the kindergarten door, or fain illness to miss a day at school. (I was one of those.)

Learning doesn't feel safe for everyone. For those individuals, slow is important. Getting ready takes time. Many individuals need time to build the capacity to learn. It takes time to build our ability and more time to make use of that ability. To help individuals develop literacy, we need to give time for them to build the resources they will need for advancing in any subject to be learned.