Did you know that millions
of American Children can't read
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and that puts them
directly on the drop-out track?
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Well, stay tuned
to see what my guest
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is doing about it...
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My name is Yvonne
Lewis and you're watching
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Urban Report...
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Hello and welcome
to Urban Report...
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My guest today is Roy Dockery
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a Literacy
Consultant that is on a crusade
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to make a difference...
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Welcome to
Urban Report... Roy...
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Good afternoon... good afternoon
thank you for having me...
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Oh, it's so great to
have you because this topic
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is one that's so near
and dear to my heart...
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I mean...
reading is so fundamental
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and yet... millions of
Americans can't read...
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tell us a little bit about
that problem... if you would...
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Well, you know, it's a critical
issue... like you said...
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I mean the fundamentals for
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education and the
fundamentals of being able to be
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successful and independent
in life really come from
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the ability to read... like...
to be able to take instructions
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to be able to pick up a
book or to even pick up a manual
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right?... to be
able to follow a process
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and complete a task or
to complete an objective...
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so, you know,
with people not really
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taking the time to pay attention
to literacy within the Country
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we tend to focus and overlook
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the underlying issue, right?
which is the fact that we have
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a problem in this Country,
especially in particular
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communities and with
certain demographic sub-sets...
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that we have... you
know... there's an issue
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that people can't read you
know, without proper reading
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and writing skills
it's hard for people
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to be
successful... even in today's
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fast-moving society...
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Yes, it's something that
we kind of take for granted
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sometimes because...
that's just what we do...
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we read and we just
kind of take for granted
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that others can
read... but if you think about
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how crippled we would
be if we couldn't read...
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if we could not
pick up that Bible
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and read that Bible...
if we couldn't do the things
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that help us to grow...
intellectually, spiritually,
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I mean, this is
a crippling thing
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when you can't read...
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so, I'm really thankful that
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you and your Organization
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and we're going to talk
more about that in a minute
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are doing something...
let's talk about you, though,
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what gave you this
passion for reading?
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well, I think, one of the
things that really gave me
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more of a passion for
reading as I got older
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and kind of got out of
college and transitioned
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into being a parent myself...
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was trying to
identify what skill... right...
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that you want to
emphasize to your children
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Hmmm... So, I had a rather rough
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upbringing... I was
raised by a single parent
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but, you know, the
current household that I have
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I have a stay-at-home
wife, I have 2 daughters...
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so, it was really
trying to focus on, okay,
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where do we need to
invest in our children
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to make sure that
they're on the right track...
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to be successful...
so, one of the first things
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we did when my
oldest daughter was born...
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and my wife first
stayed at home was to make sure
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that we emphasized in our
home that she could read...
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right... so we went
out and we bought all the
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we bought the
"Hooked on Phonics" programs
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and we bought
"Your Baby Can Read" DVDs
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you know for the first...
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I mean, after, I think
right around the age of 4 months
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we just started
consistently pushing...
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you know, just
reading to our daughter...
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not necessarily...
learning... but phonetics...
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to knowing her
alphabet and being able to read
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is what we concentrated on
for her first 2 years of life...
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and, for me to
see that transition,
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in just allowing... her
being able to read at such
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an early age... she
could read by the time
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she was two... how
that has kind of set her up
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to be successful in
so many other things...
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so, when she enters
into... when she does ballet
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or when she does
science or anything else...
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her ability to be able to read,
really makes instruction easier
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it makes her excellent
from an educational perspective
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she's very articulate...
why? because she has a larger
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vocabulary because she's been
reading for such a long time
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and it just amazes people
even when they talk to her
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that she's five years
old... and so in that...
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being that was the standard
that we had in our home,
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it started to concern me
when I saw other children
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that couldn't read...
and then, to even expand it
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outside of
that... I was a mentor
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when I was in college
and I mentored a 19-year-old
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high school student that
couldn't read all the words
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on his college application,
so, just kind of looking at it
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from that perspective,
getting kind of more actively
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involved in community
now that I was formally
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in the military and so now
that I'm out of the military
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and have some of the...
a little bit more freedom
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and time to do a lot
more community activism
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literacy... it
kind of came to me
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as an issue right...
because looking at the issues
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that plague our Society...
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I have a production
company that did a film about
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Trayvon Martin... you
know, dealing with mentoring
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and after-school
programs and youth development
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it started to become
apparent to me... right...
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that the underlying
issue that I can pull
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out of every
situation... was the fact that
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we have an issue with our youth
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and just with our
population in general...
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that we ignore... which
is when people don't know
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how to read... it
really makes it difficult
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for them to have
a definitive path
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whether that's spiritual
or whether that's their
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personal path...
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Absolutely... you
know, you said some
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great things... number one...
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one of the things
that really got me
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is that... you started early
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working with your daughter
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and... and... not
only... I mean... you weren't...
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it sounds to me as
though you weren't pushing her
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but you were
just reading to her...
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you know, one of the
things that we have to do
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as parents... and this
is one of the things that
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sounded so great
about what you were saying
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you are involved
with your children...
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do you have one
child or two children?
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I have two children now, so
I have a 5-year-old daughter
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and a 3-year-old
daughter as well...
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Okay... so you're
involved as a parent,
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as a father... you are involved
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with your children...
and you have a wife that
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gets, thank God,
she gets to stay home
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and also impact the children
you know, in that way...
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so, now, you can take
your kids to the library
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or do things that they need
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to encourage them
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academically... so
now your daughter is 5
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your older daughter is
5 and she has been reading
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since she was 2... so
the parental involvement
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piece... is such
an important piece
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and one of the
things... that I noticed...
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is that... many
times... for whatever reason
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many times... in
lower-income homes
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there's so much chaos going on,
that it's hard for the parent
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to focus, often,
on... those aspects
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of the child's development,
the academic aspects
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either...
there's a lot of chaos...
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or the parent themselves
are ill-equipped to assist
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the children...
so now we have a...
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kind of systemic issue...
but what's the blessing about
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what you said... is
that... you were able to help
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your children...
and I think... no matter
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where you are as a
parent, even if you have
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learning issues yourself,
you can become more involved
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with your children's
development I think...
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this is a critical piece...
because we can't just put it
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on the
schools... we have to take
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personal responsibility...
and do something
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about our children's
learning... Absolutely...
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and I think the
key words you said were
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to take responsibility, right?
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and especially
with young children...
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because the most
critical ages for development
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for children...
most studies show...
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are kind of up
through the age of 5... right?
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which is before...
you can even put them in
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public school
and even in States...
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I live in the State of
Delaware, where Pre-school
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isn't a State requirement...
and the only way you can
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get a child into
Pre-school is that they have a
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learning disability...
so there is no K4...
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for the normal children
or even for what the State
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would consider... a
gifted child... right?
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so, the most fundamental
years of development...
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there's no Society...
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there's no public institution
anyway to kind of promote
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that learning and that education
and so, I mean, originally
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with me and my wife...
it was a decision... that
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she'll stay home...
she was going to stay home
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for the first 6
months... so we'll stay home
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for the first 6 months...
we'll be more comfortable
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and then we'll see...
how it goes from there...
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but 6 months became a
year and a year has become 5...
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going on 6 years now...
but... I was in the military
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at the time so... it
was a considerable sacrifice
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for us financially
for my wife to stay home
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she has a degree...
she was working as a
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Physical Therapy Assistant...
and so... but we made that
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it's essentially...
it's an investment... right?
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because it's the trade-off
between sending our daughter
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to daycare where we
didn't really see any facilities
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that we thought..
what would continually
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kind of try to instruct
her... versus just observing her
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and making sure
that she was safe...
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but I mean... from a
financial perspective...
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it wasn't a
considerable investment...
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we bought some
DVDs... and we bought books...
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from the thrift
store... people have a...
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some people jump
back at Goodwill...
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but... I have
hundreds of books in my house
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that we bought from Goodwill,
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and we let our
daughters pick them out
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and we just...
and we read to them...
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but, the funny thing is that...
I didn't... even at that time...
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I didn't really understand
that we were teaching her
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literacy... right...
we thought we were trying
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to set her up for...
we were educating her...
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Hmmm... but we really weren't...
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we weren't teaching
her any topics right...
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I mean, I've been
an instructor for years
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and done a number of
things... so when I look at the
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kind of instruction
and teaching that I do
00:10:02.44\00:10:04.18
from a Corporate perspective...
00:10:04.21\00:10:05.26
we weren't really
teaching her anything...
00:10:05.30\00:10:07.17
we weren't teaching subjects,
00:10:07.21\00:10:09.08
we weren't
teaching Science or Math...
00:10:09.12\00:10:11.05
we were just
teaching her how to read...
00:10:11.08\00:10:12.94
and so now, looking back
at... the most fundamental thing
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that we did... was
teaching her how to read
00:10:16.41\00:10:18.57
and then seeing the way
that it has benefitted her...
00:10:18.60\00:10:20.70
so my daughter is
5... she just graduated
00:10:20.73\00:10:22.84
from the first grade...
so, that's a requirement for it
00:10:22.88\00:10:27.30
That's so cute...
it's really just because
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of the fact that that she's
able to excel... even in school
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because she doesn't need
as much individual attention
00:10:33.46\00:10:36.08
because she can
read the instructions...
00:10:36.11\00:10:37.84
now, when she was
in Kindergarten...
00:10:37.88\00:10:39.54
no one else in Kindergarten
could read the instructions
00:10:39.57\00:10:42.49
and she could... so it allowed
her to be more independent
00:10:42.52\00:10:45.40
and it allowed her
to be recognized...
00:10:45.44\00:10:47.74
as, you know, kind of
a... as an exceptional student,
00:10:47.77\00:10:50.37
when the fact of the matter
is... the only real difference
00:10:50.40\00:10:53.17
between her and the
other kids in her class...
00:10:53.21\00:10:54.93
was that she could read...
Yeah, and you know what Roy...
00:10:54.97\00:10:57.59
you said that you
weren't teaching her anything
00:10:57.63\00:11:00.19
but you know what...
you were not teaching
00:11:00.23\00:11:01.70
her subjects... but you
were teaching her things...
00:11:01.74\00:11:05.01
you were teaching
her the importance of
00:11:05.05\00:11:07.09
reading... to get
a joy from reading...
00:11:07.13\00:11:09.10
you were... by
example... you were teaching her
00:11:09.13\00:11:12.33
how significant it
is... to know how to read...
00:11:12.37\00:11:15.43
so, even though you
weren't teaching subjects...
00:11:15.46\00:11:18.49
you were teaching
her... and then you were
00:11:18.53\00:11:20.29
teaching her the importance
of parental involvement...
00:11:20.32\00:11:23.16
because... I think that...
while we're not trying to
00:11:23.19\00:11:25.68
lay a guilt trip on
mothers that have to work...
00:11:25.71\00:11:28.16
I mean... I was a
single parent, I had to work...
00:11:28.20\00:11:30.86
you have to work
if you have to work...
00:11:30.89\00:11:32.64
but if you can be at
home with your children...
00:11:32.68\00:11:36.92
it's a great thing...
because you can really reinforce
00:11:36.95\00:11:41.01
and nurture and shape...
the values of your children...
00:11:41.04\00:11:45.03
so, I think if you can do that,
it's a blessing to be able to
00:11:45.07\00:11:48.80
do that... and
it's an investment...
00:11:48.84\00:11:50.72
like you said...
it's an investment...
00:11:50.75\00:11:52.85
what about when
you were growing up...
00:11:52.88\00:11:54.89
what was the environment
like when you were growing up?
00:11:54.92\00:11:57.86
Well, I had a rather...
I guess... I would call it
00:11:57.90\00:12:01.44
a tumultuous upbringing...
so, I mean, my parents
00:12:01.47\00:12:04.25
originally got divorced
when I was 2 years old...
00:12:04.29\00:12:07.04
so, I grew up...
with a single mother...
00:12:07.07\00:12:09.83
and so, my mother, she
worked... we spent a lot of time
00:12:09.87\00:12:12.90
at home alone... or
with our grandparents...
00:12:12.94\00:12:15.94
my great- my
grandmother on my mother's
00:12:15.98\00:12:18.91
side... actually took care
of most of the grandkids...
00:12:18.95\00:12:21.24
so, is it was
essentially a Day Care...
00:12:21.28\00:12:23.02
so it was all the grandkids
00:12:23.05\00:12:25.08
kind of running around
the house... and unfortunately
00:12:25.12\00:12:28.40
in my family... just based
from a traditional standpoint
00:12:28.44\00:12:31.51
there wasn't a lot
of focus on education...
00:12:31.55\00:12:33.58
especially for the men...
because all the men in my family
00:12:33.61\00:12:37.72
are mostly
tradesmen... so, it's more...
00:12:37.75\00:12:40.70
working with their hands really,
00:12:40.73\00:12:42.19
than their working
with their minds...
00:12:42.23\00:12:44.06
you know, I was taught how
to do dry walling and how to do
00:12:44.09\00:12:47.17
other things but
the only real focus...
00:12:47.21\00:12:49.57
the interesting thing...
the only real focus we had on
00:12:49.60\00:12:51.98
reading within our
family was reading the Bible...
00:12:52.01\00:12:55.60
so, at an early age...
it was my great-grandmother
00:12:55.63\00:12:58.74
who actually used to
spend a lot of time with me
00:12:58.78\00:13:01.79
going through different
Scriptures in the Bible...
00:13:01.82\00:13:04.79
and I actually
learned how to read...
00:13:04.83\00:13:06.60
by reading the
Bible... and so, that's where my
00:13:06.63\00:13:10.38
literacy
actually began... because
00:13:10.42\00:13:12.34
from a school perspective
00:13:12.38\00:13:13.61
by the time I was
in the 11th Grade...
00:13:13.65\00:13:15.93
I was at my 13th school...
we moved from State to State
00:13:15.96\00:13:20.12
You were on the 13th
school by the time you were
00:13:20.16\00:13:24.29
in the 11th grade?
Yes... yeah... in the 11th grade
00:13:24.32\00:13:28.41
I was at my 13th
school... My! what a...
00:13:28.45\00:13:30.95
so, how did that
affect you academically?
00:13:30.99\00:13:33.88
Well, the
interesting thing is... I was...
00:13:33.91\00:13:36.23
school... to me has
never been difficult...
00:13:36.26\00:13:38.74
and one of the reasons
was because I was always
00:13:38.77\00:13:41.17
I mean, I guess I just kind
of had a knack for reading...
00:13:41.21\00:13:44.82
so, even... same thing..
with changing schools so often
00:13:44.85\00:13:48.43
you missed a lot
of days in class...
00:13:48.46\00:13:50.36
and so, to catch
up was easy for me...
00:13:50.40\00:13:52.23
because I could read the book
and comprehend what was in it...
00:13:52.26\00:13:54.72
so, even if I was absent, I
could still get a good grade
00:13:54.75\00:13:57.29
on the test...
academically, I didn't do bad...
00:13:57.32\00:14:01.10
I had good grades academically,
but from a social aspect
00:14:01.14\00:14:04.49
I didn't interact
much with other kids...
00:14:04.53\00:14:06.22
I never really had any direction
or involvement from teachers
00:14:06.26\00:14:10.09
because I never spend
more than 6 to 8 months
00:14:10.13\00:14:12.57
in the same school... so,
going from school to school
00:14:12.60\00:14:15.46
you would develop a
relationship with a teacher
00:14:15.50\00:14:17.20
and then 2 months
later... we would move...
00:14:17.23\00:14:18.86
and so I didn't really
have any strategic influences
00:14:18.90\00:14:22.24
even within the
family or really even from
00:14:22.27\00:14:25.33
an academic
perspective... of people
00:14:25.37\00:14:27.47
who were trying to nurture
00:14:27.51\00:14:28.79
or any kind of
gift or development...
00:14:28.82\00:14:31.33
now actually I didn't really
develop a love for reading
00:14:31.37\00:14:33.58
until I went to
college... so, I kind of read
00:14:33.61\00:14:36.20
as a necessity to
catch up and to be able to
00:14:36.24\00:14:38.84
teach myself things
that I missed in school
00:14:38.88\00:14:41.44
or if I felt like
acting up in school
00:14:41.48\00:14:44.34
then... I could just
grab the book later on
00:14:44.38\00:14:46.71
at home and pick it
up and read the subject
00:14:46.75\00:14:49.02
and be ready for a test,
but I didn't even develop
00:14:49.05\00:14:51.78
a love for reading
myself, until I was 19-years-old
00:14:51.81\00:14:54.50
and in my second
semester in college
00:14:54.54\00:14:56.39
Wow... so you were 19-years-old
when you developed this love
00:14:56.43\00:15:01.75
for reading...
how did that happen?
00:15:01.79\00:15:02.98
It's an interesting
way that it occurred...
00:15:03.02\00:15:05.99
I was actually... at that
time I was starting to develop
00:15:06.03\00:15:08.88
a relationship
back with my father
00:15:08.91\00:15:10.56
after we had been separated
00:15:10.59\00:15:12.45
for several
years... as I went to college
00:15:12.48\00:15:14.69
and then... so from
there what he did is...
00:15:14.73\00:15:17.48
he gave me a book...
on a topic that I was
00:15:17.52\00:15:19.54
interested in...
that he came across...
00:15:19.58\00:15:21.53
and so... that was one of
the first books that I read
00:15:21.57\00:15:24.44
from cover to cover... right...
it was interesting to me
00:15:24.48\00:15:27.32
and it was kind of
different to read something
00:15:27.35\00:15:30.13
for a personal reason
versus reading for school
00:15:30.17\00:15:32.91
or like reading the
Bible or something...
00:15:32.94\00:15:35.31
something that I wasn't
inherently interested in
00:15:35.34\00:15:39.06
at the time... so
from that... what I did was
00:15:39.09\00:15:41.56
I kind of read that
book and then I looked
00:15:41.59\00:15:43.99
in the reference chapter
then I researched other things
00:15:44.02\00:15:46.60
by that author
and from that point...
00:15:46.63\00:15:49.50
I just started
building a library...
00:15:49.53\00:15:51.38
and I continued to
read... and I continued...
00:15:51.41\00:15:53.22
and it was weird...
because from that point forward
00:15:53.26\00:15:56.07
anytime I came across
an interest or an issue,
00:15:56.11\00:15:59.19
I would read
about it... Right...
00:15:59.23\00:16:00.96
so, yeah... so
growing up without a father
00:16:01.00\00:16:03.67
and worrying about
going into fatherhood
00:16:03.71\00:16:06.35
I would read
books on fatherhood...
00:16:06.39\00:16:08.01
you know, spiritual development,
I would read on discernment
00:16:08.04\00:16:10.69
I would read
books on discipleship
00:16:10.73\00:16:13.80
so, it kind of
expanded my horizons
00:16:13.83\00:16:16.83
to where I kind of
didn't allow people,
00:16:16.86\00:16:19.17
it stopped me from allowing
00:16:19.21\00:16:21.56
people to give me information,
00:16:21.59\00:16:23.02
and it turned me into a person
00:16:23.06\00:16:24.42
who sought it out... Oh
man, that's some rich stuff
00:16:24.46\00:16:28.56
right there, Roy, because...
00:16:28.60\00:16:30.15
okay... let's go
back... you and your dad...
00:16:30.19\00:16:34.63
were kind of
reconnecting and your dad
00:16:34.67\00:16:38.92
was encouraging you to read...
00:16:38.95\00:16:42.19
so he gave some books
on topics that you were
00:16:42.23\00:16:45.52
interested in...
that's number one...
00:16:45.55\00:16:47.69
one of the things
we can do with our kids
00:16:47.72\00:16:49.83
is identify their interests
and as long as these interests
00:16:49.86\00:16:53.93
don't compromise
them spiritually,
00:16:53.97\00:16:56.26
give them books to read
about their interests...
00:16:56.29\00:16:59.60
so, this
happened with Ben Carson
00:16:59.63\00:17:02.25
his mom gave him something
and he became an expert
00:17:02.28\00:17:05.37
in whatever it was
that he was interested in...
00:17:05.41\00:17:08.46
you can become an
expert, and what you did
00:17:08.49\00:17:11.75
you began to seek things
out, you know... in the Bible...
00:17:11.78\00:17:15.42
there's an allusion
to to the Bereans...
00:17:15.46\00:17:18.48
they didn't just take
what they were given...
00:17:18.52\00:17:20.73
they sought things out...
00:17:20.77\00:17:22.24
they studied for themselves,
00:17:22.28\00:17:23.72
that's what you did...
00:17:23.75\00:17:25.11
you studied for yourself,
00:17:25.14\00:17:26.43
and you became...
you became a seeker
00:17:26.47\00:17:30.26
of knowledge... and
that's what I would love
00:17:30.29\00:17:33.47
for our kids to
get this desire...
00:17:33.51\00:17:36.14
to know... for knowledge sake...
00:17:36.17\00:17:38.49
just to know...
I want to know...
00:17:38.53\00:17:40.78
because I want to
know... it's like...
00:17:40.81\00:17:42.98
instead of just like being on a
00:17:43.01\00:17:48.09
wild goose chase...
focus on something...
00:17:48.12\00:17:50.85
that you really want
to know more about...
00:17:50.89\00:17:53.34
and learn about it
and then you become
00:17:53.37\00:17:55.75
an expert in that
field... and that sounds like
00:17:55.79\00:17:58.58
that's what you did...
and I applaud you for that...
00:17:58.62\00:18:00.81
I think that's so great...
00:18:00.84\00:18:01.97
And I think the interesting...
I've just been traveling...
00:18:02.01\00:18:05.92
I travel a lot... I
travel about 75 percent
00:18:05.96\00:18:07.98
of the time... for
work... so I spend a lot of time
00:18:08.02\00:18:09.83
in the
airport... and in us talking
00:18:09.86\00:18:11.53
there is an
illustration that I think
00:18:11.56\00:18:13.46
makes it very clear
on what it feels like
00:18:13.50\00:18:15.33
to be illiterate... right...
because when you are at an
00:18:15.36\00:18:16.84
airport... you
normally see a group of
00:18:16.88\00:18:18.75
tourists from another
country, so when I was traveling
00:18:18.78\00:18:21.73
and I was connecting
in to Vegas from Denver
00:18:21.76\00:18:24.13
there was a group
of Asian tourists...
00:18:24.16\00:18:26.72
and they
couldn't read the signs...
00:18:26.75\00:18:29.24
right... so they
didn't know what gate to go to
00:18:29.28\00:18:31.56
they didn't know... so
in everything they had to do
00:18:31.59\00:18:33.84
they had to seek
someone's assistance...
00:18:33.88\00:18:35.83
someone had to direct
them, someone had to guide them,
00:18:35.87\00:18:38.27
and we have people
within our own society
00:18:38.31\00:18:40.88
who can't read...
that need to take direction
00:18:40.92\00:18:43.02
in everything that
they need to do in life
00:18:43.05\00:18:45.09
because they can't
pick up a book or, you know,
00:18:45.12\00:18:47.87
go to a store to get the
instruction that they need
00:18:47.90\00:18:50.61
directly... That is so true...
00:18:50.64\00:18:53.75
and you know what...
that is a great illustration
00:18:53.79\00:18:56.48
because when you think about it
if you go to a foreign country
00:18:56.52\00:18:59.63
and they have signs up... I
mean, it's just gobbledygook
00:18:59.67\00:19:02.75
you have no idea what it says...
00:19:02.78\00:19:05.43
and so, tell us
about the Organization
00:19:05.47\00:19:08.38
that you're working
with that can change
00:19:08.42\00:19:11.91
our literacy gap
here in this Country.
00:19:11.94\00:19:15.35
Yes, the Organization
that I'm a partner with is
00:19:15.38\00:19:18.38
is TestOurKids. com and
what that Organization does
00:19:18.42\00:19:21.71
is... it has a
proprietary process of doing a
00:19:21.74\00:19:25.40
kind of a "reading
assessment" on children...
00:19:25.44\00:19:29.47
so, it does reading,
word recognition, phonetics
00:19:29.50\00:19:33.42
and basically... the
other building block principles
00:19:33.46\00:19:37.30
of reading and literacy...
to evaluate the kids and
00:19:37.33\00:19:40.65
to be able to give that
picture to parents or even to
00:19:40.69\00:19:43.97
school
organizations so that they know
00:19:44.00\00:19:46.05
where their children stand
when it comes to literacy...
00:19:46.09\00:19:48.35
So, anybody can go to
that website and sign up
00:19:48.38\00:19:54.86
to get their
children assessed online...
00:19:54.90\00:19:58.30
is that correct?
00:19:58.33\00:20:00.20
That's correct... yes...
if they go to TestOurKids. com
00:20:00.24\00:20:03.68
what they'll see is
they can sign up to schedule
00:20:03.71\00:20:06.82
an assessment... because each
assessment is also guided by
00:20:06.85\00:20:11.03
a person from the Organization
that will kind of be with your
00:20:11.07\00:20:15.21
child as they take the
assessment... you know...
00:20:15.25\00:20:16.92
try to assist them and
guide them through the process
00:20:16.96\00:20:19.31
because they want it
to be specifically...
00:20:19.35\00:20:21.52
the child being directed...
directed by the assessment
00:20:21.55\00:20:24.83
itself... and kind of...
without the interaction of
00:20:24.87\00:20:26.51
parents or someone really
standing over their shoulder
00:20:26.54\00:20:28.92
so when my daughter took it,
I basically set her in my office
00:20:28.95\00:20:32.60
we scheduled the
assessment, the time started and
00:20:32.64\00:20:36.19
I just left her in
there and she was directed
00:20:36.23\00:20:38.65
by them... she was
directed by the assessment
00:20:38.68\00:20:41.26
and the person who was
observing her evaluation
00:20:41.30\00:20:44.22
So, how does that...
explain that a little bit more
00:20:44.25\00:20:47.11
for us... how does that
work... somebody is observing...
00:20:47.14\00:20:49.77
is it like Skype... or
someone is observing her
00:20:49.81\00:20:53.34
as she reads or
how is that set up?
00:20:53.38\00:20:57.48
Yeah, so what it is is...
00:20:57.51\00:20:59.38
it's not like a video
they can't see my daughter but
00:20:59.42\00:21:01.74
what they can see is
what she's doing on the screen
00:21:01.77\00:21:04.05
so it's a computer-based...
00:21:04.09\00:21:05.97
it's almost like
someone remoting into your PC
00:21:06.01\00:21:08.44
or into your computer
where they can observe your
00:21:08.48\00:21:10.46
desktop... so while
she's taking the exam...
00:21:10.49\00:21:13.43
they can the
desktop... so as she clicks on
00:21:13.46\00:21:15.80
different words or if
they kind of see her...
00:21:15.84\00:21:18.14
kind of drifting
around the screen
00:21:18.17\00:21:20.66
not knowing
which point to click...
00:21:20.69\00:21:23.11
then they can actually
jump in and provide assistance
00:21:23.14\00:21:26.86
and so, during that
time, at the beginning of it
00:21:26.90\00:21:29.25
she was on the...
the representative from
00:21:29.28\00:21:31.69
TestOurKids. com is on
the phone with my wife...
00:21:31.73\00:21:33.98
and then as my daughter
kind of got into the assessment
00:21:34.01\00:21:37.21
and it kind of steadied out
to where she was functioning
00:21:37.24\00:21:40.41
on her own... then
they cut the conversation
00:21:40.44\00:21:42.80
with my wife... but
if, during the assessment,
00:21:42.83\00:21:45.16
they would have
run into an issue...
00:21:45.19\00:21:46.56
they would have
called my wife back and said,
00:21:46.59\00:21:48.25
"It looks like...
your daughter is struggling
00:21:48.28\00:21:49.90
with this... "
and kind of help guide
00:21:49.94\00:21:52.28
through the
completion of the evaluation...
00:21:52.32\00:21:54.62
and this sounds
tremendous because...
00:21:54.66\00:21:58.07
what this is is...
it's... you can't know
00:21:58.10\00:22:01.35
where you have to go if
you don't know where you are
00:22:01.38\00:22:03.58
you need to
know where you are...
00:22:03.61\00:22:05.48
so, this gives an
assessment and lets the parent
00:22:05.52\00:22:09.70
know where the
child is... and then...
00:22:09.74\00:22:12.57
you can... I would imagine...
you could then kind of
00:22:12.60\00:22:16.20
chronicle the progress...
and see how far your child
00:22:16.24\00:22:19.80
has come through
this... so this is...
00:22:19.83\00:22:21.99
is this an ongoing
process is it a one-time...
00:22:22.02\00:22:26.32
you get the assessment
and then... what happens?
00:22:26.36\00:22:30.52
So, TestOurKids. com
has the assessment tool
00:22:30.55\00:22:34.09
and it also has... it
also has reading programs
00:22:34.12\00:22:37.62
online... so once
the child is assessed
00:22:37.66\00:22:40.25
there are different programs
online that you can have
00:22:40.29\00:22:43.14
whether it's online
reading or different activities
00:22:43.17\00:22:45.98
and phonetics
and the 8 key areas
00:22:46.01\00:22:48.14
that they
children are assessed in
00:22:48.18\00:22:49.92
that the parent can enroll in
00:22:49.96\00:22:52.12
and kind of enroll
their child in that school...
00:22:52.16\00:22:54.06
Roy, this sounds
like an excellent program
00:22:54.09\00:22:57.05
because, you know, our
kids are really kind of
00:22:57.08\00:23:01.36
geared toward
technology so they can work with
00:23:01.40\00:23:04.62
the computer...
get the information
00:23:04.66\00:23:08.45
and this seems as
though it can bring
00:23:08.48\00:23:12.20
our kids from Level
A to Level B to Level C
00:23:12.23\00:23:16.34
this is so, so critical...
00:23:16.37\00:23:18.66
what kinds of results are
you getting with this program...
00:23:18.69\00:23:22.04
Well, from the
Program Assessment
00:23:22.07\00:23:25.82
and the reading tools...
the one thing it's also doing
00:23:25.85\00:23:28.51
on top of just encouraging
parents to get their children
00:23:28.54\00:23:32.21
actively involved in reading
is also spurring into community
00:23:32.25\00:23:35.88
involvement and
having communities and
00:23:35.92\00:23:37.80
different community
organizations reaching out...
00:23:37.84\00:23:40.43
to TestOurKids. com to
help set up Reading Centers
00:23:40.46\00:23:43.02
as well... so,
just providing those
00:23:43.06\00:23:45.52
resources... so, I mean,
it's definitely an improvement
00:23:45.55\00:23:48.11
you can see the
tracking improvement
00:23:48.14\00:23:50.92
with the children who
participate in the assessment
00:23:50.96\00:23:53.26
and then have someone that
kind of guides them through
00:23:53.29\00:23:55.56
improving the areas in
which they're lacking...
00:23:55.60\00:23:57.43
So, a church, then, can...
because this is not a religious
00:23:57.47\00:24:02.82
thing... this is just kind
of neutral... kind of thing
00:24:02.85\00:24:07.30
a church can set
up a Reading Center...
00:24:07.33\00:24:10.52
in the church
for it's young people
00:24:10.55\00:24:13.49
and then, have them come there
00:24:13.52\00:24:16.39
and take part in
this program and just...
00:24:16.42\00:24:19.59
in other words...
offer a place... a safe place
00:24:19.63\00:24:22.04
like... some families
might not have a computer
00:24:22.08\00:24:24.42
so the church has a computer,
they can set up a program
00:24:24.46\00:24:28.37
for the young
people for the kids to come
00:24:28.41\00:24:30.66
and get some... kind
of tutoring without really
00:24:30.70\00:24:34.68
having anybody that has
to actually do the teaching
00:24:34.72\00:24:38.18
it's built into
the program, correct?
00:24:38.21\00:24:40.63
Correct... and that's
one of the things that
00:24:40.66\00:24:43.34
I've kind of
started in the early phases
00:24:43.37\00:24:45.75
which is reaching
out to the churches that
00:24:45.78\00:24:48.29
even my own personal
church and other churches
00:24:48.33\00:24:50.77
that I have connections
with, and one... getting them...
00:24:50.81\00:24:53.45
to have the children of
the church... assessed...
00:24:53.49\00:24:56.40
especially those churches
that have a Christian Education
00:24:56.43\00:24:59.37
Department... or
even their own private
00:24:59.41\00:25:01.08
Christian School... to
have their children assessed
00:25:01.11\00:25:03.62
to see where
their reading level is
00:25:03.66\00:25:05.03
and if they see a
need... for reading development
00:25:05.06\00:25:07.80
within their
children... then to work with
00:25:07.83\00:25:10.52
TestOurKids. com and
organizations to build
00:25:10.56\00:25:13.18
a Reading Center that could
not only be used for the church
00:25:13.21\00:25:15.92
but it can also be
outreach... like you said...
00:25:15.96\00:25:18.94
literacy is non-religious
it's non-partisan...
00:25:18.97\00:25:21.83
right? Everyone needs
to read so even being able
00:25:21.86\00:25:24.69
to reach out into the community,
00:25:24.72\00:25:26.23
and be able to offer a resource
00:25:26.27\00:25:27.71
that says, you know,
"Your children can come here
00:25:27.74\00:25:29.71
and we have programs
and we have resources
00:25:29.75\00:25:32.68
where they can get instruction
in reading and in literacy
00:25:32.72\00:25:35.99
would one... be a great outreach
for the Kingdom in general
00:25:36.02\00:25:39.26
and be a great
outreach for any church
00:25:39.29\00:25:41.41
into it's community...
because the children are
00:25:41.45\00:25:43.38
in the community...
it's just a matter of
00:25:43.42\00:25:45.08
identifying them and then
providing them the resources
00:25:45.11\00:25:47.28
to improve their literacy...
00:25:47.31\00:25:48.73
That is tremendous...
that is tremendous...
00:25:48.77\00:25:51.44
what would, in the
last minute that we have
00:25:51.47\00:25:54.19
what would you like to
say to parents that are
00:25:54.22\00:25:56.87
struggling with their children
and they don't understand
00:25:56.90\00:26:00.12
what's going
on... what would you say
00:26:00.16\00:26:01.66
to those parents? The
advice that I would give
00:26:01.69\00:26:04.68
to parents that are
struggling with their children
00:26:04.71\00:26:07.67
is that they... first of all...
00:26:07.70\00:26:09.47
just need to be involved
and that they need to invest...
00:26:09.51\00:26:12.42
right... they
need to invest time...
00:26:12.46\00:26:14.34
and any resources that they have
00:26:14.38\00:26:16.19
it's not expensive...
there are a lot of programs
00:26:16.23\00:26:18.37
out there that are
available for reading
00:26:18.40\00:26:20.63
that they can put
on their cell phones
00:26:20.67\00:26:22.74
they can put on
tablets or computers
00:26:22.77\00:26:24.84
and if they
don't have, you know,
00:26:24.87\00:26:26.51
if they don't
have those resources...
00:26:26.54\00:26:28.11
to reach out to Organizations
like TestOurKids. com
00:26:28.15\00:26:30.83
to be able to
provide their children
00:26:30.87\00:26:32.73
the instructions... so
even if there is a parent
00:26:32.77\00:26:34.68
that has a learning disability
or that struggles with
00:26:34.71\00:26:37.95
literacy themselves...
there are Organizations
00:26:37.98\00:26:40.72
out there that they can reach to
00:26:40.75\00:26:41.88
to help their children achieve
a very fundamental aspect
00:26:41.92\00:26:48.01
which would be literacy...
00:26:48.04\00:26:49.53
That is great...
thank you so much, you know,
00:26:49.57\00:26:52.31
one of the things you
said and it's so true...
00:26:52.35\00:26:55.06
our churches can
use this to reach out to
00:26:55.10\00:26:58.49
the parents in the community,
the children in the community,
00:26:58.53\00:27:01.96
and it can be used
as an evangelistic tool
00:27:01.99\00:27:04.85
to bring people to
the house of God...
00:27:04.88\00:27:07.67
to meet their needs
first... their temporal needs
00:27:07.70\00:27:11.55
and then, of course,
their spiritual needs...
00:27:11.59\00:27:13.51
so thank you so very much Roy...
00:27:13.54\00:27:15.74
for being on this Program
00:27:15.77\00:27:17.45
and for all that you're doing
00:27:17.48\00:27:18.95
for the cause of literacy,
we really appreciate it.
00:27:18.99\00:27:22.00
Thank you...
glad to be here and,
00:27:22.03\00:27:24.52
like I said, I hope
that we can push for a change
00:27:24.55\00:27:27.36
and improve
literacy in our children
00:27:27.39\00:27:29.51
and in our Communities...
00:27:29.54\00:27:30.80
Thank you so
much for joining us...
00:27:30.84\00:27:34.32
we hope that these programs
00:27:34.36\00:27:37.37
give you the
tools that you need...
00:27:37.40\00:27:39.43
to share with other people
00:27:39.47\00:27:41.32
you might not have
children yourself...
00:27:41.36\00:27:43.09
but you might know some
children that can really benefit
00:27:43.13\00:27:46.21
from this information,
so thank you so much...
00:27:46.24\00:27:48.87
may God bless you...
we want you to tune in
00:27:48.90\00:27:51.50
next time...
join us next time...
00:27:51.53\00:27:53.16
tune in... you know why?
00:27:53.20\00:27:55.18
because it just
wouldn't be the same
00:27:55.22\00:27:56.89
without you.
00:27:56.93\00:27:59.83