A True Story of One Mother’s Love
December 10, 2015
Okay, a show of hands: How many of you remember the Hooked on Phonics commercial from the 90s? The one with the little red-headed kid chirping, “Hooked on Phonics worked for me!” Okay, now how many of you learned to READ using Hooked on Phonics? Do you remember sitting down with your cassettes and your tape player doing the lessons, workbook in hand? Or were you, like me, part of the older generation that grew up during the time of the dinosaurs and the 8-track tape players? (I know. I’m totally dating myself!)
I Had My Doubts
Though I was too old for Hooked on Phonics, I decided to use it with my little boy. At 5 1/2 he literally wasn’t able to sound out words at all.  I was skeptical at first because I was raised during the Whole-Language Approach toward reading and believed that the Phonetic Approach would make my kid a poor speller. (I was wrong. In 5th grade, he’s actually a terrific speller in addition to being a good reader.)
Like Mother, Like Daughter
I have to say, though, I was privileged to hear, first hand, an incredible story of Olga, a loving mother who was determined not to give up on her daughter, and a young girl who was determined not to give up on herself. For years, Olga reached out to us because she wanted others to benefit from her experiences. When we finally reached her, here is the story she shared with us:
Are you a grown-up Hooked on Phonics kid? Share your story with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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