In this promotional video, author Lois Letchford narrates Part 6 of her memoir Reversed: A Memoir, titled “Reaching the Summit.” She explains the difficulty of writing about her son Nicholas’s achievements, describing his progression from a struggling reader to a high‑achieving student: excelling in a pre‑AP science class, winning a middle‑school swimming race, studying engineering and pure mathematics in Hobart, Tasmania, and ultimately earning a scholarship to Oxford where he completed a PhD in applied mathematics. Lois recounts a dramatic travel episode in Dallas where flight delays threatened their journey, but the scholarship email arrived just before departure, marking a pivotal moment. Throughout, she stresses the broader message that children with reading difficulties can succeed when educators adopt a mindset that prioritizes teaching literacy. The video ends with a call to action for viewers to buy, review, and share the book to promote better literacy teaching.
Chapters
Hello, I'm Lois Letchford. I'm author of the book Reversed: A Memoir. I'm a literacy problem solver talking about the book Reversed: A Memoir. And this is part 6, Reaching the Summit. It's a short chapter, a short part of the book, only a few chapters, where I talk about Nicholas's success. This was the hardest part of the book for me to write, and it took lots of practice, lots of writing, and lots of failure that didn't get into the book. To hit the right note of engaging the audience. Because once a child succeeds, or once the character succeeds in the book, it's harder to keep the audience engaged. And that's what I wanted to do. So the first part of the book is the failure and success in the classroom of one teacher who thought Nicholas should not be there. And that was a real experience with real consequences. And also the success with the science teacher, Emma Lovering, who went beyond Nicholas's disability to see his strength. And she said, I like the way you think. And that put him into the pre-advanced science class, pre-AP class, with Mrs. Lovering. And Nicholas thrived. And it was someone outside of the family seeing Nicholas's strengths. It was so important to us. And from there he went on to high school where he just flew and was successful in all that he did in high school. So it's only a few chapters and I talk about a swimming race where in middle school he worked really hard to be successful in swimming. And you can read that chapter. And then from there in 2000, Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, where Nicholas took up his place. His father had been— had a job as head of department and Nicholas went there as a student of engineering. And because the departments are small, engineering and mathematics had to work together. And here's another bonus. In Australia, there are no 2 common years. So you're directly working with your strengths. So for 5 and a half years, Nicholas did pure mathematics and pure engineering. That's all. And gained from it. And finally, finally, The fun part happens, and the final chapter of the book is called Welcome, and it's chapter 44. And the best thing to do for me is simply to read it to you. It's January 2013, and the quote comes from Anne Sullivan, the teacher of Helen Keller. Yes, I am proud and very humble too. On January 4th, 2013, Nicholas takes the scheduled flight from Australia to London. At immigration, he opens his passport to show his student visa, the entry date January 5th, 2013 stamped on the page. He retrieves his one piece of luggage before catching the bus to Oxford. Our old friends Helen and Colin greet him and help him through those first few jet-lagged days of settling into a new city. Nicholas is back in the town. Where he first discovered learning was exciting. Where the names of Cook, Columbus, and Ptolemy became significant. And where he asked questions I could not answer. His first job is to officially enrol in his college. Under umbrellas to ward off the misty Oxford drizzle, Helen and Colin walk in single file down St Aldate's, then alongside the high walls of Christ Church. Nicholas looks around, his face grinning and blond hair damp. He holds his head high. Nicholas almost bumps into Colin, failing to notice this group had stopped. As if on cue, the number 34 bus, destination Abingdon, pulls into its stopping place. Are you ready to get on the bus? Helen turns to ask Nicholas. Nicholas frowns for just one moment before his eyebrows twitch with recognition and amusement. Ah, he says, acknowledging the significance. This is where we caught the bus to Abingdon when I was a kid. He chuckles of the memory before all 3 turn to the stone arch of Tom Tower. Guarded by a granite-faced porter dressed in bowler hat and black suit, the little group prepares to enter into sacred territory. and Helen shake and fold their umbrellas. Nicholas waits. Remember, the dining hall is on the right, and you can see the cathedral tower in the centre, Colin points out as all 3 look through the arch into the grounds. The tourist entrance is on the meadow side of the college, the porter says gruffly, resembling a gargoyle. Nicholas shuffles his feet, unsure of what to do. He scratches his trimmed beard. Moving forward, he greets the porter, Helen, and Colin. Watch and wait. I'm a new student here. My name is Nicholas Letchford. Ah, my apologies. The porter enters the lodge. Nicholas takes off his backpack, pulls out a manila folder, and hands it over. The gatekeeper touches his hat, opens the file, and checks the details. You are enrolled to do a doctorate in the Department of Mathematics. Is that right? Yes, Nicholas says, standing tall and confident. He is at the right place. I see you are on a scholarship from one of our biggest companies, is that correct? Yes, Nicholas responds. The porter lifts his head. Welcome to Christchurch, Mr. Letchford. Let me get your key. And so it begins. Nicholas and I began this adventure together. A mother who refused to believe a student with learning disabilities could not learn to read. And now the possibilities are nearly limitless for the boy who never gave up. And I've done that as the last chapter, but there was a story in the middle of that between Nicholas completing his undergraduate degree and gaining a scholarship to Oxford. Because in the middle of 2012, Nicholas is talking to us and saying, I'm applying for scholarships Oxford and Cambridge. The Oxford scholarship came up first. He applied and he had an interview. Chris and I were in the United States, back in the United States, living here in upstate New York, and we're flying to Australia. We get to Dallas. We're flying from New York to Dallas. Our flight in New York was delayed and delayed and delayed, and we think, we're not going to get there, we're not going to get there. We catch up, then we arrive in Dallas. And at Dallas, there's a thunderstorm and incoming flights are delayed, delayed, delayed, delayed, delayed, delayed, delayed. We arrive, eventually arrive at the gate to catch the Qantas flight, the 16-hour flight from Dallas to Sydney, and the gates were shut and we were locked out. It took us 4 days to get back on that flight. And it's while we were returning We're at Dallas again, waiting now to go to Australia, and Chris opens his email and it says, I've got a scholarship to Oxford from Nicholas. It's a day I'll never forget because although he had this enormous opportunity, me as a mother still saw the enormous challenges that my son faced, and I wondered how he was going to survive. Yet in 2018, he did it. He overcame and he graduated with a PhD in applied mathematics from one of the most amazing universities in this world. So when children struggle with reading, let's look at our mindset. Let's think wider than the problem and know that we simply have to teach children to read. And that's my goal in writing this book. Thank you for listening. I hope you grab a copy. Please write a review, share it with others so that we can continue to promote— when children struggle with literacy, it's our job to change the teaching so that they can learn to read. And I'm going to give you an additional talk because the story has not finished. Thank you. Hit like, Hit subscribe and share this with others to promote We Must Teach Children to Read.
