Sound It Out: Giving the Gift of Reading

In first grade, a young girl was learning to read but feeling helpless in front of all those squiggly lines and shapes. The teacher had introduced her to the alphabet, phonics, sky letters like b’s, f’s, l’s, h’s, and t’s, and underground letters including g’s, p’s, and q’s. For the most part, she knew her sight words and could read and spell the family words displayed with pictures on the bulletin board: mom, dad, sister, brother, baby, etc.

For the six-year-old, one of her favorite times in school was right after lunch, when the teacher would ask the class to rest their heads on the desks. The teacher would dim the lights, pick up a book, and read aloud, allowing their imaginations to soar and giving the students the gift of a story, welcoming them into the wonders of the written words.

 But the round-robin reading moments when students were asked to read aloud caused the six-year-old to stutter and her little hands to tremble. As she sat in a small circle with her classmates, it was difficult to pay attention to the storyline as she anxiously awaited her turn. After all, who wanted to call an island an “is-land”?

Then it happened. It always happened. She came across an unfamiliar and particularly difficult word. Chills traveled along her thin arms as the teacher looked at her, and the silence grew. The teacher smiled as she nodded and softly encouraged the child to “sound it out,” empowering the young reader to trip over the word, wrestle with it, but keep reading.

At that moment, she had been given a special gift and a key that would help her through the years as she continued her literary journey. She began to foster a joy for reading as she launched out into the river of words, paddling along and keeping her literary boat moving. The child became an avid reader and writer.

 At that moment, she had been given a special gift and a key that would help her through the years as she continued her literary journey. She began to foster a joy for reading as she launched out into the river of words, paddling along and keeping her literary boat moving. The child became an avid reader and writer.

There would be years that I, many years later, would recall that moment – a moment of freedom and empowerment. Whether I sounded out words correctly or not, the teacher believed in my ability to learn and find my way. I left school that day feeling equipped, powerful, and ready to sound out unfamiliar words for decades to come.

Who has helped you embrace the joy of reading? Who has equipped you or provided fuel along your way?

Pulitzer Prize-winning American poet and novelist Gwendolyn Brooks once said, “A book is a gift you can open again and again.” Are you giving others the gift of a story? Connect others to the benefits of being a lifelong reader and encourage them as they travel along their literary journey.