The Boy Who Couldnt Read by Kurt Campbell Kurt Campbell believes in second chances — and a certain grade school teacher who made all the difference. For him, the hurt and the hope came in fourth grade. School was a complete struggle for me. Learning was hard. My teachers and my parents tried everything but it just wasnt clicking. I was tested for dyslexia. I had a terrible self image. By the end of my fourth grade year, I couldnt spell or read. Things didnt get any easier that summer. The Campbells moved from their home in Everett, Washington, to the town of Edmonds. That fall Kurts mom and dad enrolled him in a new school, Kings Elementary, where he would repeat fourth grade. I know my parents ached inside. Even though they had faith I would make it, I knew they felt frustrated. I wasnt nervous about going to a new school, but I was terribly distraught about taking fourth grade over. It was a sign of not being intelligent. I felt very insecure and afraid. Fortunately, I wasnt at my old school, so none of the kids would know I had been held back. His new teacher, Mrs. Hornall, knew. She had read Kurts file. She knew what was at stake. On the first day of school she greeted Kurt at the door. She made him and each of her other 13 students feel welcome. She seemed very stern and in control, he recalled. Very quickly, she reminded me of my grandmother, who truly loved and cared for me. Mrs. Hornall was the same way. Since our class was small, she worked with each of us individually. You could go to her desk and ask her about a specific problem. And she would come to your desk. With Kurt, she did something more. She began to work with him, talk with him, spend concentrated individual time with him, inviting him to sound out consonant blends and words he never knew existed. Kurt worked with a tutor who helped him see how words fit into sentences and how sentences became paragraphs, and stories filled with new meaning. Over the next few weeks and months, things began to change. By the end of the year, Kurt was on the verge of something big. It happened at home, one night. I had a Hardy Boys book, and I was reading the whole thing. It took me four straight evenings. When I got to the end, I ran down the hall, yelling to my mom and dad, I did it! I did it! Mrs. Hornall made the difference. She was one of those amazing teachers who took the time, gave me personalized attention and never once made me feel inadequate with my other classmates. When I learned to read, everything became much easier. I began to do math story problems and understand geography books. Being able to read made life so much more enjoyable, said Kurt, who by the end of the fourth grade was reading at a fifth-grade level. The next year, he was reading eighth-grade material. Today, he is a successful businessman, one of four principal owners of Campbell Nelson Volkswagen Nissan, his familys auto dealership in Edmonds, Washington. The significance of learning to read, and the teacher who made it possible, remains strong, more than 30 years later. When m hiring new employees, Im not only looking for a certain skill set, Im looking for people who can see the big picture, who can work in harmony as part of our dealership team, who have compassion for others and a willingness to see beyond themselves. Just like a certain fourth-grade teacher did when she forever shaped the future of a ten-year-old boy. The Story Lives On . . . Kurt Campbell experienced the highs and lows of fourth grade. Can you recall a high point and low point from your school years? Page 46 Can you name the five most recent Oscar winners for Best Picture? How about the five most recent winners of the Noble Peace Prize, or the Heisman Trophy? However, can you name your favorite teacher? What do you admire most about him or her? If the two of you could sit down today, what would you most like to say to him or her? If you could give one piece of advice to help a young person get more out of school, what would you say? THE PROMISE OF TEACHING And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others. 2 Timothy 2:2 God entrusts His truth to teachers who can bless you. Who, lately, has been teaching you about the Lord?
Posted on: Mon, 03 Feb 2014 10:07:47 +0000
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