“No, I don’t read, I’m dyslexic.”
“Read? I can’t, I’m dyslexic.”
“I’m dyslexic so I don’t read.”
After working with school age children in various capacities for four years I have lost count of the number of children who have given me a variation of the above to explain their complete disinterest in books, reading and education. When Peter Hitchens recently repeated his understanding of dyslexia, namely that there is not clear evidence it exists, he obviously does not need my support, but I wish to lend it nevertheless. As one who derives deep and abiding pleasure from reading, it breaks my heart that so many children are denied its joys, thanks in part to the application of a label that, like Hitchens, I find fraught with uncertainty.
Note here, Hitchens does not suggest that certain children struggle to read, but that their struggle is more related to teaching methods rather than faulty neurology. I would like to add two additional explanations, one following from the other. First, the labelling of a child as dyslexic ensures that they consciously or unconsciously stop attempting to learn to read. Just as when I heard my ballet teacher tell Mum I had an, “elephantine gait” I rather gave up trying to dance. Secondly, a conscious or unconscious reading habit is then not formed. Why dance if you can’t dance? Why read if you can’t read?
The current thinking is such that once the dyslexic diagnosis has been made, the correct reading materials and support can be given (books in large fonts and a range of coloured films applied to text to apparently make the text stop jumping around). A bit like learning to dance in calipers, reading becomes a laborious chore not a pleasure.
“But why do some children find learning to read hard – there must be something wrong with them?” asks my husband peering over a copy of our son’s Phoenix comic. “Because learning to read is hard,” I explain slowly, “Goodness me have you forgotten how hard it was to get the boys to read… the boredom of Peter and Jane and Janet and John that Mum got down from the attic, and those awful Biff and Chip books that school provided?” My husband gave a visible shudder of memory. If you think those books are dull, just wait until you see the dyslexic offering. And I’ve never understood the vogue for teaching reading via graphic novels – the fonts really are too complicated and jumbled to get a handle on.
It is very unusual however that any dyslexic child is fully unable to read – a certain level of literacy is gained from the captions on TikTok and Insta, and most primaries do a good job of the whole phonic business. Full-illiteracy, dyslexic or not, is mercifully rare. What I think is interpreted to mean dyslexia today is an inability of a child to easily and enjoyably read long swathes of text. There is something intimidating about those great chunks of words, in a way that Victorian copies of the Times look impenetrable to me. And this is the second point that is relevant to the dyslexia issue: in addition to the application of synthetic phonics, what is required to really make the reader read with ease is, drum roll: persistent and regular reading of good books, initially out loud and then silently. It is this habit that is just as important as the initial teaching of ‘cat’, ‘mat’, ‘sat’ etc. Daily reading out loud in class and at home. Every day. Good books that have great plots that eventually the child will want to read on his or her own. And for the teachers and parents this relentless commitment to reading can appear to be a fruitless endeavour because the child is dyslexic and therefore can’t read. Self-fulfilling prophecy and all that.
While I cannot claim to have turned any dyslexics into enthusiastic readers, I have got them reading more than they realised they could. I always pretend I’ve forgotten the coloured filter and initially use a ruler to help break up the block of text, then my finger, then their finger, then just out loud and then in their heads. The simple act of my saying to them “You are a terrific reader” always spurs them on to do more reading. I am always delighted with their surprise when they realise they can actually read fluently. My second tip is to read good books to them, classics with nice characters and a plot that rattles along well: The Animals of Farthing Wood is reliably good for younger teenage girls and boys, and Charlie Higson’s peerless Enemy series for teenage boys and abridged classics like Heidi and The Secret Garden for girls.
And on that note, I am going to curl up with a good book…
Joanna Gray is a writer and confidence mentor.
To join in with the discussion please make a donation to The Daily Sceptic.
Profanity and abuse will be removed and may lead to a permanent ban.
“a sinister Left-wing outfit which aims to starve it of advertising revenue is maintaining a relentless campaign. And it seems that many in the advertising industry are its willing accomplices.”
The advertising industry IS a sinister left-wing outfit. The left have captured everything.
30 years of indoctrination…
Forget this generation, and start again with the grandkids. Hopefully they will rebel against their woke parents, like kids always do. Some of them might start to learn about defending borders and small government, and it goes from there. I hope so. Its too late for this generation.
Indeed it all goes in cycles. We had a good run and life will be reasonably OK in many ways for a while, but it’s downhill for a while now I reckon. Who knows when people will wake up – Rome was sacked and then it was too late, for centuries…
Most obviously seen in the almost total depiction of mixed race families on TV advertising
The Leftwaffe truly is a weapon, I ignore them in any and all situations now. They will never learn until they are destroyed, and maybe not even then.
The real fundamental problem is that society as a whole does not put much value on news, as evidenced by the fact that very few are willing to pay for it.
Contrast that with football which, the moment it was no longer provided free and had to be paid for, people couldn’t line up quickly enough to pay for it and its income has exploded.
We are victims of our own apathy and fundamental laziness. Society prefers to watch what is put in front of it for free than to pay to be better informed.
And there I was thinking that quite a large percentage of the UK viewing public pay the BBC licence fee.
Not for news they don’t.
Like the Poll Tax of years gone by, there’s no choice
That’s an interesting perspective and putting aside the insidious political takeover of our institutions, the free market does generally “sell” what people want, problem being is how to quantify the payment and product. You say society as a whole doesn’t value news and so therefore don’t go out their way to pay for it? I guess that depends on what is valued as payment since it’s not necessarily monetary anymore (despite people watching adverts all day, they’re for better or worse because of it and have “spent” some commodity that influences their behaviour – usually a decline in functioning brain cells I’d wager as a result but best not be too unkind and I doubt I’m immune myself).
We know from the online world & social media, the individual and their “profile” is the product of which has inherent value (it’s hard to convince some even a simple email address has value and to look at it that way – particularly since you pretty much can’t do anything online without one), but these “payments” come in many different forms. I guess this attitude is certainly going to change in future no matter the comprehension since the powers that be are wanting to give a valuation to every thing we do, notch all those activities up with carbon credits in the dystopian future they’ve lined up. We’ll all have a better understanding of it then (at which point it’ll be too late to change anything).
Well, you never know, but it could be good if some “established” firms selling crap are discouraged from advertising there. There might actually be some useful outlets advertising via GBN, after all. At least it’s been one of few good things to emerge during the 2 3/4 years panic – along with this place, and perhaps a few more.
The more likely scenario is that they will go under because hardly anyone will advertise with them and they simply don’t have the numbers yet to push their way through.
As I write, there are no ads appearing for me on DS either.
According to them, their viewers have increased, and they do have some heavyweights on board. We will get our message across one way or another, even if it’s stickers and carrier pigeons. Vive la resistance. People won’t endure turds indefinitely.
Hugh, I pray you are correct. But the evidence of my eyes and ears is that the majority of people I come across, love turds and the bigger and juicer the better.
They may – or may not, smile if you drop a sarcastic comment about the wonders of green energy, or facemasks, or clot shots. But then they drop out that they are looking forward to their fourth of fifth shot next week.
And think that Kneel Starmer is really an honest and reliable bloke.
Even more admit to not having even heard of Starmer but will be discussing the latest masterpiece episode of WankettyWank or Bellenders.
I’m not sure the problem is “woke bigots”. Woke bigots exist, and they are a problem, but the basic problem is that the political left have captured politics, journalism, science, academia, the media, journalism, entertainment, the arts, big business, charities, big tech, and they have the power and the desire to shut down anyone who might be a threat to them. It’s not just some tiny band of extremists – the left is now mainstream in almost every institution.
Sorry, forget education, Police, Armed forces, “public health”
The problem is not so much that these people are everywhere. The problem is that they always use whatever resources they may be able to command to further their political goals in extrademocratical (or rather, antidemocratical) ways.
They certainly seem more determined, ruthless, energetic than we are.
I just want to be left alone and sticking my nose into other people’s business doesn’t appeal to me.
I think that’s mostly a case of not having anything else to do. I’m not overly interested in sticking my nose into other people’s business, either, although I’m usually opinionated. But my days tend to have 16 – 19 hours spent either with earning the means to enable me to live a life or to organize that. Hence, there’s none left I could spend with other people’s lives.
Insofar, I’d exchange determined, ruthless, energetic for bored. Day getting long in the tooth again. Can’t we have another gender change?
Yes, that’s a good point. I tend to think people who go into politics, either professionally or as volunteers, must have something wrong with them. I fell into leadership roles at work not because I especially wanted them but because it seemed preferable to having other people tell me what to do, but my leadership style (if one can call it that) is mainly to employ motivated people who don’t need much looking after, and give them interesting work to do, and tell them when they’ve done a good job.
But they can and will be defeated though, just look at the Soviet Union. The European Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the People’s Republic of China, and Sino Sunak and all the other collaborators will sooner or later go the same way. Just keep pushing and praying.
Yes, but you are talking about “eventually”. The Soviet Union eventually collapsed. After 70 years and although it was obviously a very dodgy undertaking from day one. And scores of millions of blameless people died.
Eventually it will be obvious to even a nitwit, that it is impossible to run a civilised society on whirligigs and sunbeam catchers. How much of our Civilisation will have been ruined by then? How many lives destroyed?
And there will still be many who will tell you that if we had just tried harder, with them in charge, that their project for extracting those sunbeams from cucumbers would have proved to be a triumph!
I tend to date Western Europe’s (cultural) revolution from about 1968 (and indeed my former French lecturer was a bit of a soixante-huitard).. The current shambles is merely a continuation of it, a particularly unpleasant phase. I think a serious turning of the tide is definitely possible though it won’t be easy. And sadly quite a lot of people have died under this revolution already, one way and another, and will continue to do so for probably decades to come. Long term though, the new Soviets don’t stand an Earthly.
It might be valid to argue that the cadre of leftist activists (there’s a distinction – not everyone who considers themselves left wing is behind The Narrative, and the political model being pushed by elites isn’t typically left-wing but authoritarian) is a tiny minority in absolute terms, but one which (for reasons you’ve explained) hold a disproportionate degree of power and influence, particularly in the state, media and charity sectors. The larger problem is that the vast majority have been cowed through emotional manipulation into silence; that this silence is taken as consent; that they no longer dare look into controversial issues to get a better understanding of them because it all seems muddy, controversial and frightening; and often people just prefer the security of being told what to think by an authoritative voice over the fear of uncertainty.
Perhaps the best solution is for people who are wise to the degree of propagandistic establishment lying going on with the apparent aim of pushing civilisation back into a globally governed, neo-feudalist model (or something similar – sorry RW, but that’s the reality), is to climb out of their safe spaces and make their voices heard as widely, reasonably and politely as possible. It can be surprising how many people greet them with relief.
Yes, we have to chip away in whatever way we can.
They say GB news is “spreading problematic messages.”
Yeah, problematic for their emotionally manipulative lies and mental fantasies they live in.
They need to read a few books. Bunch of cucking funts.
It’s Mark Steyn – the woke forces are terrified of him. In fact, GB News’ line-up is a hurricane-force breath of fresh air, long overdue!
Seconded.
…thirded…..it’s specifically Mark Steyn, who my sister has got her husband to watch, that has turned him from full covidian to not going for jab number four…miraculous!
while simultaneously making him laugh each time he watched, I would bet.
It’s also Neil Oliver even though his monologues are just once a week.
Don’t forget Farage.
Proper advertising might actually work on a station such as GB News because the audience is committed.
We occasionally watch pre-recorded programmes but the quality of the advert infestation is so laughable that we press mute and fast forward. The content is insulting so the advertisers end up wasting money. As someone who is wholly uninterested in anything to do with ‘woke’ advertisers can be assured that I do not spend any money with their companies for fear of guilt by association.
Gone are the days of :
‘Happiness is a cigar called Hamlet.’
‘You only get an ooh with Typhoo.’
And, the wonderful PG Tips chimps:
“Dad, do you know the piano’s on my foot?”
“You hum it son and I’ll play it.”
Aren’t I naughty?
I can’t watch them – maybe 10% are tolerable. I used to get by just turning the sound down, now I have to look away. I can’t watch modern TV or films either. Fortunately I have shelves full of old books I haven’t read.
I was very young in the 90’s, and even I’m sick to the hind teeth of modern TV and Movies (a few recent outliers, Reacher and Terminal List were fantastic). But the adverts are absolutely the worst; they’re tiktok on TV, fast cuts, ott music, constant ‘fabulous and unique’ messages…
I maintain that torrenting media is the only way to do it these days.
Yeah, Reacher was good, looking forward to another season of that. Yellowstone is decent too.
Streaming is best, yes.
I don’t mind the fast cuts etc, it’s the obvious political agenda in the ads that I can’t stomach – no manly white men, non-whites massively over-represented, ditto gays and lesbians, lots of warmtard stuff.
Oh yeah, I didn’t know that England had so many mixed race couples! Don’t get many in Cardiff…
“Warmtard” lol love it.
It’s so absorbent…
I watch recorded programmes – there’s a skip button on the hand controller I press when the adverts come on. It works.
“You’ll never put a better bit of butter on your knife”.
“Do the shake and vac and put the freshness back”.
“Trio, Triiioo, I wanna Trio and I want one now”.
“A finger of fudge is just enough until it’s time for tea.”
Ah the power of advertising…Late to the party because insomnia has come avisiting
Umbongo Umbongo they drink it in the Congo.
Whatever happened to them? Probably a hate crime or something these days…
“A Mars a day helps you work, rest and play”
“Go to work on an egg”
Ah, memories.
Thanks Mogs
Was it not “a finger of fudge is just enough to give the kids a treat”? Maybe followed by “a finger of fudge is just enough until it’s time to eat”?
Can we have list, I’ll happily boycott them all
Hmm … considering that transwomen are men claiming to be women, transpeople must be alien lifeforms claiming to be humans.
The other day I was watching GB News and an advert for Coal Town coffee roasters came on. With these Stop Funding Hate dildos in mind I immediately ordered 6 bags of various whole beans. The coffee is absolutely awesome by the way. I’m about to email them this news and tell them to remain strong… The idiots are NOT winning yet.
If anyone’s bored, Stop Funding Hate are located at Regency Court Office, 262-66 Deansgate, Manchester M3 2EN..
As promised my email to Coal Town coffee roasters:
Hi,
Just to let you know, a few weeks ago I ordered six assorted bags of your beans and they were all amazing. Especially the Roberto Ortiz.
The reason we heard about you is through your advertising on GB news.
We watch GB news amongst other things because we are a free thinkers and we automatically revert to our own brains when we get too sick of being told what to think by the Establishment and the mainstream.
I know you must be being bombarded by idiots from organisations like Stop Funding Hate that claim GB news is some sort of bigoted Nazi hellscape but promise me you’ll stay strong and ignore them, and in return we’ll keep ordering from you.
Thanks for the awesome coffee and keep fighting the nonsense.
Brilliant and good on you ps.
Anyone got some stickers?
Great idea!
Most of the advertising I see on other channels represents an alien world where every family is mixed race with a high Afro-Caribbean content and very little Asian.
It all stands in stark contrast to the pale faces that make up the vast majority of my world.
In theory, I am forced to pay the BBC’s “television licence fee” to watch GBNews live. It is about time the cash was shared out on a “per viewer” basis.
“Problematic messages about climate change and covid” ??? In other words anything that questions officialdoms version of reality. —–They keep wanting to claim they are indulging in science. But in science you try to falsify everything. You question everything. Or as someone once pointed out. “Scepticism is the highest calling and blind faith the one un-pardonable sin”. It is always amazing how anything to the right of centre is demonized as illegitimate. Despite 95% of news media being to the progressive left including the one we are all forced to fund via a license fee, the progressive left are never happy with 95% . They want it all. They sit in their little castes on top of the moral high ground and preach down to us all about race, gender, equality, diversity and especially climate change and we dare not ask any questions. But we do not live in a scientific dictatorship where truth is pronounced from on high. Almost everything we hear about climate is a smidgeon of the truth elevated into a planetary emergency for which no evidence exists. All they have is speculative models that have so far all been WRONG. Yet if we cannot even question models that have all been wrong then freedom and democracy is in a very sorry state.
Freedom and democracy are screwed.
It is long overdue to recall that freedom and even relative democracy are rare conditions in the world now or at any other time. The security of food, relative security of our person and the ability to speak relatively freely in private are very rare.
We need to tell the new generatiuons about this because they are so ill educated they do not know. I expect they believe that those wrongly taken from their villages by the head man of a neighbouring village, and sold to traders who eventually sold them to plantations in the West Indies or USA (slaves) had refrigerators in their homes before their capture.
My father had to repeat and emphasise the fact that no national social benefit system existed in 1918 when his father died of Spanish Flu in 1918 leaving his widow and six children. My father was aged under three years and was not the youngest.
They all lived by their birth genders all their lives and did not chose to change their pronouns!
We can all fight start to fight back, if you haven’t done so already, by;
SFH is just another fake charity or not for profit who are using the lax tax rules and lack of proper oversight by government regulators to exploit tax deductible donations and fund whatever endeavour they choose that will generate the most revenue. It’s a formula that is now well known. All of these fake charity/ NFP groups use, essentially, tax write-offs, to fund their enterprise. The executives make handsome incomes and live globe trotting executive lifestyles while destabilizing rich western countries. A great way for elites to avoid actually having to work for a living.
GB news is one of the few places that questions will be asked about climate change. But if it is really science we are talking about then questions must always be asked. We do not live in a scientific dictatorship, and those who attempt to silence any debate on matters of science simply reveal how weak their arguments really are. This idea that matters of science get decided by a show of hands from government funded data adjusters is preposterous.————– What people need to understand is that most of what gets called “science” on this issue is actually only computer modelling. It is modelling where many of the parameters are unknown. But models are not evidence of anything. There have been over one hundred climate models, many costing millions of pounds and so far they have all failed to remotely get close to what is happening in the real world. They all estimate way more warming than has actually occurred and overestimate the effect CO2 has on the atmosphere, yet those same models are the basis for public policy as regards energy use and how everyone on earth is supposedly to live their lives—–The whole thing stinks, and if it were not for GB news all we would have would be BBC alarmism and the Daily Climate Show on SKY