A reading miracle: The story of a son learning to read from his mother

Learning to read, for some of us, was a brilliant experience of the essentiality of home literacy activity. Many years ago in Primary class 4, the ability to speak English, Twi was not much of a challenge at all. The ability to sing songs and rhymes, and recite poems off-the-cuff in English was no big deal. To read however was as difficult as getting out of bed after night rains. A one-line sentence seemed like a 200-verse chapter from the Old Testament. It was difficult, boring and unattractive.

Mr. Glover, was as stern and demanding as any hostile teacher you may have encountered. But he also had his students at heart. Like God loves his children, He was driven by an untainted desire for every child to be trained to read the way he ought to, so that when the child grows he will not depart from the basic rules of grammar and correct spelling and pronunciation of words.

He was in charge of Primary Class 4, and would not accept any child progressing to his class who cannot read. So the first day of class in Primary 4, he was so furious many of us could speak English but can’t read. His pietistic inclination to save our souls from literary damnation led him to resurrect the favorite Hawk and Hen folktale from the Primary 4 Textbook as a testing tool by which each prospective student would see the promised land (Class 4).

“Each one of you must be able to read this story correctly by tomorrow before you can be promoted to this class, do you understand?” We didn’t have to respond to Mr. Glover as his words immediately became law without any equivocation. Not even the School Proprietor was going to change the ‘Law of Glover’ received at noon.

The home became the only source of salvation from the wrath which was to come the next day. Upon reaching home around 3.oopm the day instruction was received, I wasted no time to report the new law to my Mum. Infact, I remember that until now, she had never read to me. No one had ever read to me really. As for my dad, hmmm, his is a long a story.

The following day was an unending stream of the miraculous. When it was my turn to read, I was more than confident. The previous night had opened a new chapter of my educational life. I could read without difficulty for the first time. The night of my miracle was indeed a wonderful night. My mum read to me and read with me, sitting side by side.

I thought to myself, “if only she had read to me previously, I would have started reading a long time ago”. But she was a busy woman, like many mothers.

I realized from that day that once you learn to read, you will be free forever. I hold the passionate view now that if one night could make a difference in my reading ability, then every parent ought to install a bookshelf at home. It can no longer be optional to read to children. The home can make as much impact as the school, and perhaps even more, if parents rise to the consciousness of their literary duty to their wards.

Reading aloud to the child, and reading with the child should be every parent’s renewed commitment towards building a successful future for every child. Parents who support their children’s literacy efforts have come to understand, in the words of Emilie Buchwald that: "children are made readers on the laps of their parents."