A teacher who couldn't read and write.

ralphc1

ralphc1

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'I was a teacher for 17 years, but I couldn't read or write' - BBC News

I'm surprised this hasn't been posted here.
John Corcoran grew up in New Mexico in the US during the 1940s and 50s. One of six siblings, he graduated from high school, went on to university, and became a teacher in the 1960s - a job he held for 17 years. But, as he explains here, he hid an extraordinary secret.
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His secret was that he couldn't read event though he graduated from college and taught school for 17 years. He was an athlete, good at math and could copy type and write.

Here's a link for a video for those who can't or don't want to read. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0643g34

I've known there have been many people who graduated from high school who can't read very well after working with many truck drivers. I've heard of college athletes who can't read well but this is the first I've seen of a teacher that couldn't read.
 
To be able to teach for 17 years while being illiterate, and not raise suspicion, is quite a skill. This man deserves a medal
 
I've known teachers who couldn't teach so this doesn't surprise me at all.
 
Courageous.

Definitely striking a blow against literate normative supremacy.
 
Was he an athlete in college? I find it hard to beleive eomeone could get through college without being able to read.
 
Well reading is overrated and what the hell did I just type?
 
Most of my teachers can read and write but could not teach to save their children's lives, and knew jack squat about the topic they teach.

So I am cool with this fella.

Hell, I am sure most public school teachers are like I describe.
 
gspieler said:
Was he an athlete in college? I find it hard to beleive eomeone could get through college without being able to read.
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Read the article or watch the video to find out how he passed exams. A fraternity he was in had some of them and he and some others got into an office, took the locked filing cabinet and had a locksmith open it to get another.
 
MadSquabbles500 said:
Most of my teachers can read and write but could not teach to save their children's lives, and knew jack squat about the topic they teach.

So I am cool with this fella.

Hell, I am sure most public school teachers are like I describe.
Click to expand...

I had some really good public school teachers and learned to read well by the end of second grade. I got bored easily when we had to read aloud in class and couldn't understand when others had trouble with words and were reading slowly. I used to turn the books upside down to slow myself down.

The worst teacher I had was in college as he was a chemistry professor who got by his whole life by having a photographic memory and taught like every student had one too.
 
ralphc1 said:
Read the article or watch the video to find out how he passed exams. A fraternity he was in had some of them and he and some others got into an office, took the locked filing cabinet and had a locksmith open it to get another.
Click to expand...

Seems like a lot to do. I'd have to think it would've been easier to just learn to read.
 
Reading and writing is just book publisher propaganda
 
Organic Damage said:
Really? I have met college grads who would certainly make me wonder.
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To flatout not be able to read is uncanny for a college grad. Unless you completely and utterly gifted a degree, it would be damn near impossible.
 
It's funny. I teach at a university. I think I'm a decent teacher as far as conveying the material, but I'm reserved when I teach, so I don't think I'm great at all. If I'm being honest, I would rate myself average or a bit above average. Yet, apparently there aren't many that can even do that, so most of my students think that I'm really good/great. This judgement by comparison benefits me greatly.
 
ralphc1 said:
Read the article or watch the video to find out how he passed exams
Click to expand...
Or better yet click on the article and scroll down to the pic’s of his granddaughter.
 
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