Disclaimer: I don't own Newsies, sadly, they belong to Disney. Mac, however, is my own creation. Please read and review!
I cannot hide the look of mild exasperation on my face, though I try. I have been sitting here for nearly an hour now, and frankly, I am surprised that my patience has lasted this long. But I offered to do this and I am not about give up. This is an important task, and I will succeed.
Newsie on a mission...
Beside me, my best friend, Dutchy, stares uncomprehending at the open book in front of him, desperately trying to make sense of the random squiggles on the page. You see, he can't read (except for a few words like 'and', 'the' and 'strike'. No one is quite sure where he learned the latter!), which is bad for a Newsie. At the moment, I have to read the headlines to him every morning, which I don't mind – he is my best friend after all – but I won't always be able to do so, especially if we get different jobs in the future. So I have offered to help him learn.
Newsie on a mission...
This is more difficult than I thought. Dutchy is really struggling to grasp even the simplest of words. He's trying, he really is, but he doesn't seem to be getting anywhere. Even Kloppman has had no success with him. But I am determined to teach him, if it's the last thing I do!
Newsie on a mission...
Most of us Newsies can read; even Snipeshooter and Tumbler, our two youngest boys (not including Les), are quite good at it. I was lucky enough to be taught to quite a high standard by my late mother. Boots taught himself by looking at all the different brand names on his boot polish tins. And Mac, who claims that she once read her father's medical dictionary from cover to cover (though I suspect she may have been exaggerating slightly), was taught by her father. Nobody even thought about teaching Dutchy how to read, not even when he was young and more susceptible to learning. Now this task is mine, and I cannot – I will not – fail him.
Newsie on a mission...
My next step will be to teach him how to write – if he ever learns to read, that is. He can already write his own name, and mine, and Mac's, and 'Strike', of course, but that's only a start. For now, though, I think we'll stick to reading.
I love reading. I have a real passion for good books, which I inherited from my mother, and I have been known to swipe the occasional tome. Sometimes, on dark and stormy nights, Mac and I read aloud to the others, occasionally acting the story out, which the guys love. It would be lovely if, one day, Dutchy could do the same, and though I doubt I will ever get him to that standard, I can but try...
Newsie on a mission...
I have to admit, it is a little frustrating when you can read fluently and you are trying to teach someone who can't. To you, the words just leap off the page, begging to be read, but to them, it makes no sense at all! But for Dutchy's sake, I will try to be patient and remain sane.
Oh, at last! I must be doing something right! Dutchy's finally managed to learn a new word! Yes, I know, I sound very sarcastic, don't I? But I'm really very pleased for him (not to mention relieved)... I also feel very encouraged, both by Dutchy's delighted grin, and also because he has just proved he can learn new things, even at his grand old age of 15.
I push my glasses back up my nose and call a halt to today's lesson. Dutchy may have only learned one new word, but it is better than none and hopefully, when we return to this tomorrow, today's success will help him succeed again. After all, we still have a very long way to go...
I am Specs, and I will teach my best friend how to read.
Newsie on a mission...