Pancakes

​In 1966, I was teaching in a Head Start Program. When the director demanded we teach our students to read and write their names I was puzzled. My kids, like most of the others in the program, couldn’t distinguish between a circle, square, and triangle, nor could many count to ten or name colors. How was I supposed to teach them to read and write? The director gave no instructions as to how to do this but I noticed the kids in her class spent a lot of time sitting at tables with pencils in hand. I knew this was wrong. 3-5-year-olds need big motor activity, not sitting for long periods of time trying to do something they aren’t ready to do.

Every time she asked how my students were doing, I answered, “Fine.” When she asked to see their work, I always found a reason to delay her observation but I knew the time was coming where I wouldn’t be able to put her off. Her way was not my way. I thought her approach was inappropriate. I had to think of a strategy that fit my students’ needs. What could I do? One thing my kids loved to do was eat. No matter what they were served at lunch, no food was left on any plates. I’d teach them to recognize their name through food.

The next morning, I brought in my griddle, a lot of pancake batter, maple syrup in a bottle with a dropper, and small paper plates. I told the kids we were going to learn how to recognize names and we would all help each other. I warned them to keep their distance from the griddle because it would be hot. I also reassured them there was enough pancake batter for everyone.

With my aide making sure they didn’t get too close, I poured the pancake batter in the form of an A. “Whose name starts with A?” I asked. No one knew. I told them Alicia’s name started with A. I took the pancake shaped in an A off the griddle, put it on a small plate, and told her to drip maple syrup on the letter, which was the first letter of her name. Delighted, with a little help from me, she did it. “Now you can eat your A,” I told her.

The kids started yelling. “My turn. My name.” I told them there was no rush, no need to worry. Everyone would get a pancake. The morning went so fast we were all surprised when it was time for lunch. Before they sat down, I asked them to take a crayon and make the first letter of their name. Done.

I moved on from first letters to full names in pancakes. Just to be sure they could read their names, I brought in cupcakes—each one had a child’s name written in icing on the top of the cupcake. In order to eat their cupcake, they had to find the one with their name. Done. When the supervisor came to check, I asked the children to write their names on a big piece of paper and crayon a drawing that pleased them. Done.

She never asked how I taught them. I never said.
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There’s more than one way to teach children to read and write.

How did you learn to read and write?