Cover Image: Why Sammy Still Can't Read

Why Sammy Still Can't Read

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Why Sammy Still Can't Read by Leroy and Yvette McClure is a book that fills a dire need. I liked how the book kept referencing Sammy, Leroy McClure's brother, because it made the book feel much more personal and show why it is important. I am not an educator or professional involved with the issues spoken off in the book so that may be why, but at some points during the book I had trouble following along because it seemed like there was a lot of repetition, it did not always feel like it was organized as well as it could be, and I also do not feel that there was enough explanation on things that teachers can do on a daily basis to help their students without actually going through the training or setting up the entire model that this book speaks about. While that is ideal, not everyone will be able to do this and it also is not always their decision alone, so I would have liked to see more suggestions on things teachers can do individually if they do not have the support of their school system.

Was this review helpful?

I absolutely loved this book. I am not a teacher but a healthcare provider for developmentally disabled individuals and the parent of children who are all over the range of abilities. It has been quite the learning experience for myself to also experience having my oldest child go through school without much difficulty and then my second start to have challenges. Our experience was almost identical to that of the author and his brother Sam. We slowly began to make our own accommodations for our child and then we found out how much difficulty he was really having and he had to change schools. We also felt as though the school system should have been more attuned to finding these sorts of learning differences but many teachers are not. Fortunately through a lot of persistence, we found an amazing school psychologist who did the educational testing that you refer to and discovered a learning disability that allowed us to give our child alternative ways to learn the information and more time to process the material. He has thrived ever since and is now at a top university studying computer science and loving it. You are exactly right about it starting to show up around third grade. I wish we had recognized the problem then but as you pointed out, many of these children are plenty bright but need the resources to succeed. When it goes unrecognized, the kids start to fail at some point.
I love your approach and the use of multiple sensory inputs for learning. I also had listened to Dr. Khan (of Khan Academy) who stresses the same philosophy of teaching to mastery rather than to passing. The idea being that for every percentage that is missed, at some point you reach the threshold of what you can learn in a subject. If you teach to mastery that threshold is much higher. It sounds like your approach has allowed your groups of children to learn and grow with their learning style rather than be hindered by it.
Brilliant plan and well done piece of work. Congratulations to both of you!
#WhySammyStillCantRead #NetGalley #DogEarPublishing

Was this review helpful?

As an educator and instructor of reading, I am always looking for ways to support students that come to me with reading struggles. It is imperative that educators look to new research to support student growth and development in reading skills. This book is powerful in that it provides basic understandings for reading struggles as well as provides solutions for practitioners and the plight of changing the education system to better serve students.

Was this review helpful?

As an educator, the book seemed to present information I already knew. It also seemed to revere charter schools, which I do not. I can’t recommend this.

Was this review helpful?

Why Sammy Still Can’t Read describes the problem of illiteracy vividly. I appreciated the authors’ solutions. This book represents a call to action for educators to gain expertise.

The book is also a reminder of the power of the written word and the importance of creating opportunities for all students to learn and grow.

Was this review helpful?

This was an interesting book about how the author used his experiences with a younger brother with dyslexia to create his own program for struggling kids. Conceptually it was very interesting, but it lacked focus and seemed to see charter schools as an answer they aren’t. There was also a really weird section about famous people with learning disorders.

Was this review helpful?

While the book appears to primarily be for professionals, there is quite a bit of basic information that might be helpful to the parent looking to accurately diagnose their child's struggles. True, it's a self-diagnosis, and you should go to a professional, BUT as the parent of a special needs child, I can say that it really helps if you have an idea ahead of time of the issue that your child is experiencing. So while the first third to half would be appropriate for your average parent, when he gets into the technical stuff and how the system needs to change, it seems to be more for professionals. I remember reading "Why Can't Johnny Read?" and this is an excellent follow-up to that!

Was this review helpful?