"Language is a virus." Laurie Anderson




i work with words. it is, at times, tedious work: selecting words not only for their direct meanings, but for the subtelties that have fastened on to them through years of usage altering them into something a bit other, something a bit fuller, more precise, something that resounds in the complex system of receptors we call understanding a bit clearer, and putting them on paper. words and their exact meanings are important. and for variety, though not veering from words too far, i've started working with kids who read poorly. and i'm facsinated. there's augustus: 10 years old, reading at second grade level. always yawning. always asking why do i have to read this. always in a daze. and the books he brings! yesterday he brought a book about a guy who's a truck driver. he comes home for the weekend and his wife slams the door in his face, yelling, get out, you're never home, you never help around the house. (i know: this is one of those books - and there are so many of them -demonstrating the significance of words: don't yell, don't hit or shove, sit down and talk it over.) what an exciting book for a kid! bursting with action, adventure, enthusiasm. then there's carlson: also 10 years old, also reads at "below-grade-level." i caught a glint in his eye once and suggested that next time he bring a book more interesting than the "see-the-animals" picture book he had with him. and he did. he was so happy. he plopped into the chair, and showed me what he brought: an old-fashioned (from the 50's) children's book about egyptian pharaohs. it was thick with text. he began to read. now and then he stopped to enlighten me about ancient egypt. he surprised me with his knowledge, AND with his reading. it was smooth. it was fast. and way above his grade level. and he didn't want to finish when it was time to go.