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Disclosure: My statement that this is just false and nfm
got removed; I guess it was too controversial. So.. let's
try again :).

This story is just not credible.

I taught English to Hispanics in Ecuador; I was bilingual
but two other teachers hired were non Spanish speakings,
making them illiterate in Spanish. The school (of course)
knew this and the teachers had HUGE modifications for them!
They could write up the required lesson plans in English
and they wrote up students in English--or else a school
monitor would write them up for the teacher. But know what?
Even though they were NOT expected to use Spanish (the
language they can't read) to teach, things weren't 100%
problem free. We got our schedule in Spanish; it said:
Subject: English
Class: Intermediate I
Times? Mondays 7:45-9:20, Tuesdays 12:00-1:45, Thursdays
10:45-12:05. And guess what? The teachers couldn't read
that.

It is simply not credible that a teacher got by by (as
stated on the internet) "giving tests with punch though
brads that allowed for grading". HOW COULD HE KNOW WHAT WAS
ON THE TESTS HE WAS GIVING? How could me "teach English" if
he couldn't read anything the students needed to read? Yes
he taught pre-common Core :) but if he was just having
"discussions on current events" but never mentioning the
books the students should have been reading someone would
have noticed.

So he was (as he says) "great at math and able to average
grades". Well, awesome :). (That is NOT how dyslexia
works!! People see both letters and numbers backwords, so
math class is often their worst class..and I am dyslexic.
But fine.. we'll go with this.) But even he admitted he
couldn't read student names; you need to read names to give
grades! I have given students a wrong grade because I mis
read a name. Believe me.. the C student who I gave an F to
because I confused him with his brother (same last name)
wasn't happy.

If this is true, then in 17 years he never had to "read or
write outside of the classroom". So.. he never had to read
an IEP report and sign it prior to a meeting? write sub
plans? read a memo the district sent all teachers that was
in his school mailbox..which he couldn't even find himself?
"My wife did all of the reading..without grasping that I
couldn't read" isn't credible.

This man claims to be sorry for what he did, but he also
claims to have been a "good" teacher. He further claims
that no former student was upset to learn their English (or
social studies..he taught multiple subjects) was upset to
learn he was illiterate at the time he was their teacher.

This "inspiring story" is just not possible.

On 8/04/14, Teachers.Net Gazette wrote:
> Difficult to imagine, but a true story! In the just-
posted
> August issue of Teachers.Net Gazette:
>
> The Teacher Who Couldn’t Read - By Owen M. Griffith - an
> incredible story!

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