What We See
Viewing comments for Chapter 4 "What We See - Chapter 3B"A wrongly accused teacher reinvents his life
22 total reviews
Comment from Karen Cherry Threadgill
Sometimes we get lucky with a teacher. I have had one or two that really helped me. But, many more disliked me for being so smart. In my haste to be clever I would correct their mistakes. Turns out, most were not a stickler for truth! Who knew? :-)
reply by the author on 27-Aug-2024
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Sometimes we get lucky with a teacher. I have had one or two that really helped me. But, many more disliked me for being so smart. In my haste to be clever I would correct their mistakes. Turns out, most were not a stickler for truth! Who knew? :-)
Comment Written 27-Aug-2024
reply by the author on 27-Aug-2024
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I get that. I have a feeling it will be like that with one of my grandsons. He is really bright, but he has some problems that won't make him very endearing to certain teachers. I just hope he will have ones that can see beyond some of his quirks and negative traits to the bright kid that he is--the kind of teacher like you described.
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:-)
Comment from Neonewman
Wow! I felt like David when his teacher asked why he didn't answer the multiple-choice questions on the test. I mispronounce and misread daily; this has never changed. You are spot on with the dyslexia.
What an awesome teacher David had! I wish I had such a teacher.I was fortunate enough to learn by association or muscle memory, lol.
Great addition to this chapter.
You are quite gifted, my friend.
God bless,
Steve
reply by the author on 16-Jul-2024
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Wow! I felt like David when his teacher asked why he didn't answer the multiple-choice questions on the test. I mispronounce and misread daily; this has never changed. You are spot on with the dyslexia.
What an awesome teacher David had! I wish I had such a teacher.I was fortunate enough to learn by association or muscle memory, lol.
Great addition to this chapter.
You are quite gifted, my friend.
God bless,
Steve
Comment Written 16-Jul-2024
reply by the author on 16-Jul-2024
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Thanks very much, Steve. It's gratifying to hear that my descriptions of dyslexia ring true.
I probably should have reposted this chapter because I decided to move that story with Mr. Hafner to later in the book where I felt it would be more effective, so you'll end up seeing it again in Chapter 24 if you stay with it. In my manuscript, I removed it from this current chapter and rewrote the chapter without it.
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Ok, I do plan to continue with this story.
Comment from Jessica Wheeler
This is a great chapter, Jim, offering some insight into David's disorder and the effects of dyslexia itself! You certainly educated me on the subject. I hadn't realized before that speech may also be affected, though it certainly makes sense. I love the dynamic between David and Mr. Hafner. An outstanding teacher inspired David to strive for a position where he could, maybe one day, make a similar impact.
reply by the author on 16-Feb-2024
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This is a great chapter, Jim, offering some insight into David's disorder and the effects of dyslexia itself! You certainly educated me on the subject. I hadn't realized before that speech may also be affected, though it certainly makes sense. I love the dynamic between David and Mr. Hafner. An outstanding teacher inspired David to strive for a position where he could, maybe one day, make a similar impact.
Comment Written 16-Feb-2024
reply by the author on 16-Feb-2024
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Thanks so much, Jess. I didn't know that about dyslexia either until I researched it, but it is fairly common among dyslexics from what I read, though not all. It's more than just a reading disorder, but a language disorder in general.
Comment from tfawcus
I was interested in the detailed description of dyslexia, but not in such detail in the context of the narrative. You need to be wary of inserting huge chunks of backstory into the middle of the action. As far as the story is concerned, the reader needs to understand what dyslexia is (and you can assume most do) and that David has it, and the frustration and difficulty that causes for him. I'd try to integrate much of the information in this chapter into the story that is unfolding in the present. The question always is, "How does this sentence or this paragraph help to move the plot or round out the character?" It can be a tricky balancing act at times.
This, of course, is personal opinion based on the way I'm reading the story. Feel free to disagree! It is, after all, your story and I'm no guru!
reply by the author on 02-Feb-2024
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I was interested in the detailed description of dyslexia, but not in such detail in the context of the narrative. You need to be wary of inserting huge chunks of backstory into the middle of the action. As far as the story is concerned, the reader needs to understand what dyslexia is (and you can assume most do) and that David has it, and the frustration and difficulty that causes for him. I'd try to integrate much of the information in this chapter into the story that is unfolding in the present. The question always is, "How does this sentence or this paragraph help to move the plot or round out the character?" It can be a tricky balancing act at times.
This, of course, is personal opinion based on the way I'm reading the story. Feel free to disagree! It is, after all, your story and I'm no guru!
Comment Written 01-Feb-2024
reply by the author on 02-Feb-2024
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I can certainly see why you would think that because that amount of detail does seem incongruous with the action so far, but there is a reason for it which will become clear as we get further into the story. Perhaps it shouldn't be quite so concentrated here, but you will begin to see more and more references to dyslexia, and it becomes the major theme of the story. The current action, though important to the whole story, is actually a sub-plot.
At any rate, I have marked a large portion of this in my manuscript to consider moving until later when I work on the second draft. Excellent suggestion on your part, Tony.
Comment from Carol Clark2
Good information about dyslexia. I'm glad you showed Mr. Hafner in such a good light. Many teachers go over and above for their students, and it's not often known by others. This is an interesting story, and I'm enjoying it. Carol
reply by the author on 22-Jan-2024
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Good information about dyslexia. I'm glad you showed Mr. Hafner in such a good light. Many teachers go over and above for their students, and it's not often known by others. This is an interesting story, and I'm enjoying it. Carol
Comment Written 21-Jan-2024
reply by the author on 22-Jan-2024
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Thanks very much, Carol. My wife was such a teacher that she would take extra time with her first graders who needed it. With a learning disabilities educational background, she was quite familiar with dyslexia and could easily spot it.
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You're welcome, Jim. We have three teachers in our house, so I really appreciate your comments. I'm sure your wife was a wonderful teacher.
Comment from Pearl Edwards
I didn't realise that dyslexia can affect the spoken words too.
Loved the paragraph about the physics teacher. A few more like that are needed nowadays. A lovely read Jim and the ending really shows the difference between thw two characters. Well done,
Cheers
Valda
reply by the author on 20-Jan-2024
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I didn't realise that dyslexia can affect the spoken words too.
Loved the paragraph about the physics teacher. A few more like that are needed nowadays. A lovely read Jim and the ending really shows the difference between thw two characters. Well done,
Cheers
Valda
Comment Written 20-Jan-2024
reply by the author on 20-Jan-2024
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Thanks very much, Valda. Being a language disorder as opposed to simply a reading disorder, it often affects all parts of language including spoken language. The dyslexic brain is just wired a little differently. During 1985 when the story takes place, many didn't know about dyslexia, but apparently Mr. Hafner was familiar with it.
Comment from Ulla
Hi Jim, yes dyslexia, is a great problem but it is now widely recognised. Exams papers are even allowing for it. But back in the time it was mistaken for being somewhat slow. David has a big problem on his hands. Ulla:)))
reply by the author on 19-Jan-2024
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Hi Jim, yes dyslexia, is a great problem but it is now widely recognised. Exams papers are even allowing for it. But back in the time it was mistaken for being somewhat slow. David has a big problem on his hands. Ulla:)))
Comment Written 19-Jan-2024
reply by the author on 19-Jan-2024
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Yes, fortunately it is now recognized as a real learning disability, and strategies are being developed to compensate for it. Did you know that Einstein and Steve Jobs were dyslexic?
Comment from LJbutterfly
This was interesting backstory, establishing David's character. The reader has to know him, like him, be on his side, and root for him to win. I'm looking forward to reading how you get David out of the mess he is in, since he seems, at this point, to be non-assertive, loosing sleep over what people may think of him.
reply by the author on 19-Jan-2024
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This was interesting backstory, establishing David's character. The reader has to know him, like him, be on his side, and root for him to win. I'm looking forward to reading how you get David out of the mess he is in, since he seems, at this point, to be non-assertive, loosing sleep over what people may think of him.
Comment Written 18-Jan-2024
reply by the author on 19-Jan-2024
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Thanks, Lorraine. Stay tuned!
Comment from Wendy G
Another excellent chapter, an interlude which tied in well with the prevous and looks forward to the next. It was also very informative about the dyslexia issues, and may be helpful to any involved with teaching and learning. Well done.
Wendy
reply by the author on 17-Jan-2024
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Another excellent chapter, an interlude which tied in well with the prevous and looks forward to the next. It was also very informative about the dyslexia issues, and may be helpful to any involved with teaching and learning. Well done.
Wendy
Comment Written 17-Jan-2024
reply by the author on 17-Jan-2024
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Thanks very much, Wendy. I appreciate your comments. We'll be centering around this topic quite soon.
Comment from lyenochka
Loved this! And we need teachers like Mr. Hafner and David who really care for the students who have been made to believe they were less intelligent because of a simple issue like dyslexia. I know we made a lot of progress in this area since the 1980s. I'm glad you cover the fact that it affects speech as well as reading!
Oh, did you know that Kindle has a font option for those with dyslexia? A dyslexic friend told me about it.
reply by the author on 17-Jan-2024
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Loved this! And we need teachers like Mr. Hafner and David who really care for the students who have been made to believe they were less intelligent because of a simple issue like dyslexia. I know we made a lot of progress in this area since the 1980s. I'm glad you cover the fact that it affects speech as well as reading!
Oh, did you know that Kindle has a font option for those with dyslexia? A dyslexic friend told me about it.
Comment Written 17-Jan-2024
reply by the author on 17-Jan-2024
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Thanks so much, Helen. Yes, I was aware of the dyslexia font through my research for this story, though I didn't know that Kindle had one. The thinking behind it is quite interesting, and it proves useful for those folks with dyslexia.