Who Says… Everyone Learns To Read At Age Six?

Part of the series Who says…
Written by Léo Gaumont, published on 2014-11-24.

We do not cry when we cannot play the piano but because someone makes us feel bad, if we cannot play the piano.

Building on a foundation that God is, that He created the universe and that He ultimately is responsible for our children’s being, should provide ample substance upon which to build our faith. This lengthy series will identify the secular thinking that has eroded that faith.

Bible Reference: Psalm 139:14

I was incredulous! Who was so heartless as to put that crocodile tear on the face of that child. The reason? She was ten years old and still could not read. The image of the child was on the cover of a publication by an organization supposedly supporting home education. Privately, the organization claimed a Christian faith base, but publicly made few references to God or anything to do with scripture. This particular article made no reference to God at all but cited certified professionals with high credentials who had developed a scientifically proven method to teach that poor child to read.

I immediately questioned not only who, but what actually caused the child to cry. Was it her concern or frustration at not being able to read, or that someone made a big deal of the fact? Actually, the child probably could not care less about not being able to read which was probably why she was not reading in the first place. A person who cannot play the piano does not cry because they can not play the piano, but because someone made them feel bad about not being able to play the piano. The message, whether we are talking about the ability to read or play the piano is not so much about the lack of ability but that someone thinks the person is lacking sufficiency or is “broken”. Someone made that child to believe that God had left out a part when He created her, which actually exposes the real issue regarding what is generally accepted regarding when a child should learn to read. If there is no God, we are all evolutionary machines and not special beings. Machines are supposed to work and someone has determined that means reading by age six. A machine that does not do what it is supposed to do is broken and that is what the tear on the cheek was all about. The child was broken and needed fixing by professionals who could only profit from doing so. Small wonder that she was upset with a big tear on her cheek. Who wants to be broken and in need of fixing?

If a child is made to read when not ready, we introduce frustration and insecurities about who they are, which often leads to a damaged child with a bad attitude and some consequent level of illiteracy. I believe this is why most people are not able to read properly or do not like to read. Children pushed to read when they are not ready don’t like to read because it brings back too many ugly memories about when they were forced to do something they were not ready or able to do. Let them read when they are ready and you will see remarkable results. It could be as young as four or as old as sixteen or older, for dyslexics. Whatever the age, if children are allowed to develop in their own time without being made to feel there is something wrong with them, they will eventually learn to read. Some will do so for enjoyment and others because it is a necessary academic tool. We don’t all have to read for the fun of it.

Who says a child needs to learn to read by age six? An industry that fixes human machines and simply can not believe that God would create unique children with individual readiness for things.