Dear Mr. Williams,

I would love to thank you for the book you’ve written.

It is hard for me to write in English. I’ve been trying to write this letter for hours and haven’t been able to express myself in the way I want to.

Thank you for the great job. I know you know that English can be an enemy or it can be a friend. The only friend, sometimes…

Your materials change approach to subject in my way. So I can get the friend.

Thank you very much.

Grandfather Learns to Read

When the school bells rang in September 1992, Gerald LeBlanc watched the yellow busses carry eager first graders to their classes. The happy chatter of young voices reminded Mr. LeBlanc of the day many years ago when he walked to school from his home in Louisiana with the same expectation these children had that they would be taught to read.

A Long Journey
But on that day, as Gerald LeBlanc watched the eager children on their way to school, he couldn't help but wonder how many of them would suffer the same frustration that had followed him for the forty-seven years of his life. Because, you see, Gerald LeBlanc couldn't read. He had married, started a family, a successful business and was now a grandfather, but he had not even been able to read a bedtime story to his children.

He had tried several adult education program, without success. Should he try once more? A friend had recommended a program at Griffin Tech Adult Literacy in Georgia where he now lived, but was it worth it? Should he endure the humiliation, the pain once again? Yes, he would try again. He had to succeed.

A Program That Works
The program at Griffin Tech was called We All Can Read. Students were taught the sounds of the letters and how those letters combine to make words. Some called it phonics.

Gerald LeBlanc courageously began again, step-by-step, letter-by-letter, sound-by-sound, word-by-word, and this time it worked. After attending evening classes for nine weeks, Gerald LeBlanc could read! He could hardly believe it. At forty-seven years of age, and now a grandfather, he finally achieved his dream.
At a graduation ceremony in December 1992, Gerald LeBlanc was the featured speaker, and to the cheers and tears of friends and family, he read his speech, haltingly at first, but finishing with the confidence that comes from success.

True Success
For Gerald LeBlanc, his dream came true. Now he could visit his grandchildren back home in Louisiana, and for the first time in his life, read them a bedtime story before he tucked them into bed.
Congratulations, Mr. LeBlanc. Your story is an inspiration and a challenge to all of us. The good news is we all can read. We just need to be taught.

Dear Mr. Williams:

I wanted to write and let you know the adult students I work with at Griffin Technical Institute are showing tremendous improvements in the We All Can Read program of instruction. I experienced frustration with other reading instruction methodologies because the lack of progress was causing students to once again become disenchanted and drop out. Some of them have told me they quit because they knew they would never learn how to read.

Well, the beautiful end to the story has not yet been reached, but the chapters written to date indicate positive things are happening. Attendance during the second half of the quarter has actually increased - it used to be a problem. Student frustration has decreased significantly now that they are learning they are not really dumb. All students have stated their satisfaction with the progress made and indicated they are glad to be involved in a program where they know they are progressing because they can see their skills increasing.

It is apparent much thought and planning went into the program and the sequential building of competencies and the process of constant review throughout are real positives for the learning process. You have developed a program which can easily be implemented by the professional and the volunteer with equal ease. I commend you and recommend your program without reservation.

Best regards,