"The Little Engine that CAN"

Remember the children's story, "The Little Engine that Could"?  While other, bigger, more impressive engines failed to climb the hill, the little blue engine thought to herself, "I think I can, I think I can...."  And of course, she made it up the hill, then chanted to herself all the way down, "I thought I could, I thought I could!"  Mom always referred to that book whenever she tried coaching me on sight-reading music.  But no matter how much I told myself "I think I can", I couldn't.  And then Mom (a New England Conservatory graduate and a fabulous sight-reader) would frown down at me and say something like, "Well, you're just not trying hard enough."

I really do not like that children's book very much, because it makes success sound achievable if enough effort is made.  "You can do it if you try hard enough."  In my case, no matter how hard I tried, what reading approaches I used, or years and years of playing for church, my sight-reading remains miserably insufficient.

As a teacher, I avoid the approach, "You can do it if you try hard enough" like the plague.  No matter what level the student is, I focus on where they are currently, their work and effort, and I avoid comparing them with pedagogical expectations.  Every student is different, and to try to mold reading ability into a single (and simple) expectation is ludicrous.  I focus on what they CAN do, rather than what pedagogy gurus and methods tell me to have them achieve.

My point is that, instead of considering what a student's reading level should be, be supportive of what the student can do.  And remember that every student has their own unique strengths that you as a teacher need to recognize and nurture.  Pedagogy methods have slowed student progress to a snail's pace. Thinking that students will become better readers by dumbing down the entire pedagogy approach is like trying to argue the correct way to install a roll of toilet paper.

As a child, I could not read my way out of a paper bag, no matter how hard I tried.  As an adult, my score reading is painfully slow.  However, my musicianship, interpretation, and memory skills still make me a successful performer and teacher.  And my understanding of what it feels like to be told to do something my brain isn't wired for allows me to help all students, whether or not they have reading issues, discover and build upon their strengths.