I believe passionately that parents can teach their children to read. And frankly, that they should teach their children to read. I’ve shared the resources I have to teach children to read for years, but very few people take me up on it, despite the fact that I’ve been giving those resources away. The primary reason I believe most parents don’t teach their children how to read is that they don’t truly believe they can do it. I disagree wholeheartedly and have seen the parents who took me up on the offer do a great job without the advantages I’ve had. And I’ve seen one father and child do it despite huge disadvantages.

In this article I’m going to tell you about that father and child. While this father didn’t directly teach his child, he did everything I requested despite great obstacles. I share this because if this can happen, most parents can teach their children to read.

I will tell you about how this boy came to my class, the work that was done by both the boy and his father and then where the boy was at the end of his first-grade year.

On the first day of class, this boy set a record. A record that will stand for all time. Within 15 minutes of the morning bell on the first day of school, I was sitting outside the classroom explaining to him that his behavior was unacceptable. I can’t even tell you how bad his behavior had to be for me to leave the classroom that early on the first day of school before I’d really even had a chance to let the other students know what is expected. It was a serious deal.

Here are some further observations of how much of a challenge was to come. He could not sit still for more than a few seconds. Based on the fact that he had no idea how to write letters or even where to start writing on a piece of paper, it was apparent that he had never had someone read to him. I learned later that he was from a very low socio-economic home and the he was living with his father after a very bitter divorce. All this leads me to say he and his father had great challenges when it came to academics, and especially reading.

The program I used to teach reading was very demanding. My students had to learn 70 phonograms and this was done through learning handwriting and taking spelling tests. The handwriting directions were very explicit and the spelling tests consisted of 30 words per day with six new ones forcing out the six oldest ones. This might sound bad already for first-graders, but every word had to be coded based on the type of phonogram and related spelling rules. If it wasn’t coded correctly, they missed the word.

And they had to read every day, more and more challenging books as they learned more phonograms.

Most parents have at least experienced an episode of homework where their child just couldn’t get a concept and remember the frustration level mounting, both theirs and the child’s. I shudder to think of what this father went through as he attempted to help his child with all that was expected. I’ve talked about all the child’s challenges, but the father had his own. Bitter divorce, lousy menial labor job and then the frustrations of helping his son. This was almost the perfect storm of challenges.

But one thing stands out in this situation. The father did everything I asked of him because he believed that I had the knowledge and experience to teach his child to read. If he had not done what he did, what I did would have mattered very little. This is when I came to believe very strongly that parents can teach their children to read. Let me repeat, his son would not have learned to read without his work.

I told you I would give you a report of where this boy was at the end of his first-grade year. He had learned to follow directions very well, he was doing great in all content areas, including reading above grade level, his behavior was exceptional considering how he came into the year. He was a model student.

I began this article off with the contention that parents can and should teach their children how to read. I further contended that parents believe they can’t do it. The final piece of this story I’ll share with you is that on the last day of that school year, the father told me that he thought we were trying to do too much with his son. I stated in the beginning I passionately believe parents can teach their children to read. A big part of that passion comes from witnessing what this father and son accomplished together.

If a father and son with all those challenges can do it, I believe any parent can do it!