Then we were off to meet with Katie Kruis,  a young U of M graduate who struggled to learn to read in elementary school.  She has decided to devote her life to literacy, specifically increasing awareness and helping provide effective instruction.  She is currently making a documentary that includes interviews with people who learned to read past the 'formative' reading years and she did a long interview with John.  Katie learned of John's visit to Michigan via Don Potter, a literacy advocate in Texas and Robert Sweet, the founder of the National Right to Read Foundation in DC who contacted John about doing the interview.   So many things happening to advance this cause!  We then enjoyed dinner with Katie, her parents, and Margaret from the Texas foundation.  Then were off to Fruitport for the next day's adventures!

 

Fruitport, who were the catalyst for John's visit to Michigan, held 2 presentations for all their K-12 staff in the morning.  They have been doing phenominal work with EBLI in their district and have significantly moved reading scores of multitudes of their students at all grade levels.  After the presentations John met with 6th-8th grade students from Lisa Tobin's classes.  Lisa, an amazingly dedicated and effective teacher, has been using EBLI with these struggling students and they were all aware of John's story.  Though a bit shy, they did ask questions and were enthralled with John's openness and honesty about feeling dumb as a student and were keenly aware when he told them they were NOT dumb.

 

Next we headed to what was a most profound experience!  We were to have lunch with a group of high school students who had been struggling readers and had been a pilot class for the EBLI curriculum for John's book The Teacher Who Couldn't Read.  A bit of background:  one day in the winter I was consulting in this class and doing some of the EBLI activities from the curriculum.  Chad, one of the students, asked if I knew John and had met him.  I told him, yes, he had become a friend of mine and we had met.  He then asked it I could get him to come visit the class and I said I'd make it happen before the end of the year.  Chad and the other students were doubtful but I called John that day and told him he was coming to Michigan!  So, thanks to Chad for asking, we got John to Michigan!  John had lunch with a small group as well as the teacher and myself and Wendy Somers, the curriculum director.  These boys and John had the most honest, open, heart wrenching conversation for over an hour.   I've got to admit, it was intensely emotional as they all shared their past pain and shame and stories.  Afterwards, the boys were grabbing anything they could for John to autograph but Wendy then gave them the class copies of The Teacher Who Couldn't Read to sign and write their name.  One of the boys told John that it was a good book and the first book he's ever read.  Chad told John that this was the best day he'd ever had and he'd remember it his whole life.  The whole thing was just unbelievable and so healing.  It was obvious that that hour changed those boy's lives.  Here are some pictures of them with John:

 

                                                                 

 

After that emotional experience, we went to the administration building where John had an opportunity to speak with the Fruitport adminstrators in a more intimate setting.  They had a lot of questions and John hung in there with sharing and helping them understand how he managed.  He also shared that many teachers struggled with literacy.

 

Next we were off to the Alternative Ed High School and the other class that piloted the EBLI Teacher Who Couldn't Read curriculum.  These students had written to John during their time reading his book and he did a great job answering their questions and relating to how they felt as they, too, struggled with school.  This was another emotional, honest interaction with a larger room full of students.

 

We then had a  much needed break!  Katie Kruis and Margaret met with us so I could give them a demo of how EBLI worked as John sat back and relaxed.  We left for dinner with Wendy Somers and Lisa Tobin to debrief about the day before going off for his final presentation to the community that evening.   It was, once again, another great presentation with a good turn out.  This wrapped up our mega-tour and we started the 2 1/2 hour trek back to Flint where John was to catch an early morning flight to Corpus Christi see his nephew receiving his wings as a Marine pilot.  We were wearily pleased about the amazing , powerful 3 day adventure we had just experienced!