Lois Letchford, Lincoln Project, Slow to learn, Slow to forget

10 Aug 2020 · 3 min

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2:32

In this introductory video, Lois Letchford, author of Reversed: A Memoir and The Literacy Problem Solver, recounts how her son’s dramatic failure in first grade 25 years ago sparked a lifelong quest to understand and fix literacy failures in schools. She describes the modern challenges parents face: an overwhelming flood of information and the reduction of the "science of reading" to a superficial soundbite, which offers little practical guidance. Drawing on her background as a physical‑education teacher—not a reading specialist—Lois explains the obstacles she encountered, including her son’s resistance to tutoring, financial constraints, and the lack of clear direction. Over the years she educated herself, eventually becoming a "literacy problem solver" who helps children who have failed multiple reading programs. The video serves as a teaser for a series of clips that will share her journey and promote her books, inviting viewers to like, subscribe, and follow her story.

Chapters

Hello, I'm Lois Letchford, author of the book Reversed: A Memoir and The Literacy Problem Solver, here sharing with you my journey. Why do I do this? Because over 25 years ago my son failed first grade, so he is a long-term case study, and when he failed so dramatically I didn't know what to do. And today children are still failing in classrooms. This is a problem. There are problems I see in a number of areas. One is not too little information, it's almost too much information. It's all out there, it's available on the internet, and everyone's got their own point of view. The second point is that information is also coming in sound bites. The science of reading is a soundbite. It's not a philosophy. It's not a list of instructions. It's a soundbite. And although it sounds great, what does it mean and how does it impact your child? I began this journey over 25 years ago as a parent. I was a physical education teacher, so I had teaching in my background, but I was not a reading specialist. And when my son failed first grade, I had no knowledge. I had no knowledge of what to do, what I do now, or what to do next. And his failure was dramatic in that I did not consider taking him to a tutor because I felt and I knew my son would not cooperate. Secondly, we couldn't afford it. And if I did pay the money, you want results. So I have this balancing act to get on and act with. And Nicholas, Nicholas was stubborn, you know, and it's not that he was stubborn. It's just that he knew that he couldn't do what teachers were asking. So I began this journey with no information. And that was my starting point. So what do you as a parent do when you start with no information? Follow my journey. If you like this, hit like, hit subscribe. My book Reversed: A Memoir tells the whole journey, and in these little video clips, I'll be giving snippets of my journey that turned me into a literacy problem solver, teaching children who had failed numerous reading programs. Thank you.