Retired Teacher Reveals He Was Illiterate Until Age 48

Frighteningly sad story from a San Diego TV station.

For 17 years Corcoran taught high school for the Oceanside School District. Relying on teacher’s assistants for help and oral lesson plans, he said he did a great job at teaching his students.

“What I did was I created an oral and visual environment. There wasn’t the written word in there. I always had two or three teacher’s assistants in each class to do board work or read the bulletin,” said Corcoran.

In retrospect, Corcoran said, his deceit took him a long time to accept.

“As a teacher it really made me sick to think that I was a teacher who couldn’t read. It is embarrassing for me, and it’s embarrassing for this nation and it’s embarrassing for schools that we’re failing to teach our children how to read, write and spell!”

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  • I guess we have doctors who smoke and bankers who embezzle. Why not teachers who can't read?

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Published by
Dennis G. Jerz

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