From the beginning Benjamin (now 14) has marched to another drummer. He did not read with any success until he was 9 …

Children learn to read on their own and with help, but finding the right balance depends on many factors besides their age and grade in school.

Too often parents and teachers want to let children know they approve of what the child is doing, and by doing so they ruin the “learning moment” for the child. Keeping our egos out of our children’s learning is hard to do, but worth doing, as it can help children develop a stronger sense of self, as these letters show.

“School should be a place where children learn what they most want to know, instead of what we think they ought to know…”