Step A Little Higher (1966)

[Music] thank you Mr Wilson is my friend what does the name mermaid one day [Music] and I don't know I told asked the library [Music] he's laughing at me because I'm in the second grade and can't read every word I'll never ask him anything ever he's not my friend [Music] world right up until closing time you regarded this Library Jim Wilson and you're ashamed to look at them because you can't read [Music] you hurt that little girl pretending you were too busy she knew what do you tell your own kids so you won't have to say I can't read you walk behind thousands of books staring at you each day all you can read is a few numbers and dates check out books but you can't even read a children's book sit down and try to figure out that word you're a grown man with years of experience you can read some words letters don't make sense [Music] you can't make it up you've got to learn to read don't lose this job too Tom Dawes you've got to make it you've got to be able to fill out that application form act confident you know you can do the job tell them about your experience [Music] and don't panic figure it out tell them you forgot your glasses you'll never believe me step one word got to mean something try to remember piece it together [Music] you can't read well enough to get a decent job you're not fooling anybody just yourself [Music] you failed again it's not your fault your father pulled you out of school is it your fault your mother died but you can't lose job after job you've got to learn to read better remember they told you at church about a reading Center that's free at the library the library can help you read better make out the hard words it's a hard decision for an adult to make learn to read again go in Tom [Music] open the door to your new life Jim Wilson finally made up his mind after 30 years of struggling to read Billboards of putting off real learning because you were too busy just living you're crossing the bridge to a new world of learning you're going to be able to read a whole newspaper know what's going on when a ball game comes to town know what your kids know make them proud of you be proud of yourself work out your own particular reading problem stop being ashamed Jim Wilson and Tom Dawes you're going to step a little higher [Applause] [Music] it's hard for adults with a lifetime of some reading experience to learn to read better it takes a tremendous curiosity a love of Life a willingness to improve how about what happens in the wintertime [Music] how about this word life all right and uh how about this way all right and we said that the GH was silent try this again Mr daughter give it a good shot you wanted to know so bad but the words were strange they all seem to know more than you the whole group is watching you she understood you can't learn with other people around got to be sure of yourself before you can learn something new oh Mrs Brown works all day she works for her friends for her who friends now she wouldn't work for her friends I work for you and the children family we're pretty sure of themselves but each one had to cope with their own reading problem s they spent months learning to put sounds together afraid you'll never learn to read like that it takes time time to piece letters together to try to make sense out of words Oklahoma City fine what we're going to try to do here is look at it learning becomes more difficult for adults with a rich background of Years of Living of seeing words in the images each adult came with his own particular problem Jim Wilson had seen these words somewhere see if you can make that out what do you reach oh or if the gym was always afraid of being wrong give it a shot give it a try with each word an image came to his mind the image was so strong that it stopped him from figuring out the sounds he was unsure afraid to say out loud the image he saw in his head it's like you have a pretty good catch take a guess what do you see in your mind what is the word kind of remind you of a horse ah still afraid he encouraged you he wouldn't let you quit not quite try it again as as I how would you use that have you ever used the word before as as well when you want to think of it you can yeah like is Barry did it would you recognize it that way because uh as I was going finally you began to make sense out of sounds reading in a group became fun for Tom Dawes uh the text was love your neighbor as yourself yourself okay Mr Don get someone else a chance you can't do all the reading you want to try it now yeah that's right that was a good song said Mr Brown wrapper reveling yanking Allah preaching always preach good sermons he is a good man yes he yes he is said Mrs Brown and we need to hear him say love your neighbor ask yourself it is the thing we need to think about you finished your first book how about this let's try a little reading Jim Wilson Wilson books taught you more about life about your country about being a better citizen there is a star for every state good citizens once want to know about the flag we want to know about our flag all right each book stimulated a discussion what if the man can't read and write how would he become to be a good citizen because I think like this if if I don't have anything to say about the way things are going and uh what what I like and what I don't like when I don't think I have a right to care about I mean if things don't go right I have nothing to say in the library reading Center Jim Wilson found whole shelves of books books especially written for adults beginning to read you never knew how much you could learn about being an American a boater a consumer learn about living how to live better how man used to live the caveman intrigued you he had to struggle too you shared your new interests your new confidence brought back old friends you told them about your full-time job and next week you start new classes with the Board of Education School you're a changed man how has the reading program helped anyone each individual felt the change the inner security that being able to read can mean and they talked about it but it's given me confidence in myself if I take a book from here then I'll try to read that book because I have a length of time to bring it back and then uh when I'm reading here well words I don't know how to pronounce can you help me and I'll read more about coming here then I wish I just staying home because I keep putting it up um when I was a kid I didn't have the chance and I appreciated a chance it gives me a better understanding the reading and learning to understand uh the rewards different words and are the same as a life it's shining on the savings of life that you travel by and you Tom does wanted to learn more and more you never felt better in your whole life you tore down a wall and now you can really see Tom Dawes couldn't see behind this door but he could feel the results of months of planning plans to enlarge the scope of the reading program Plans by the director of the library's adult education department the Project Director the director of public libraries they work together to reach more than 50 000 adult men and women in the city who have never learned to read well plans in which librarian and teachers select books to motivate adults to want to learn to read plans to help Mary Elder read labels on medicine bottles instead of tying ribbons around them to tell the dosage the reading program opens even more doors Tom Dawes and Jim Wilson met for the first time during the library tour they both felt proud when they learned that this room holds the largest chess library in the world and the smallest book yeah Jim remembered his short order cooking days you heard the Noonday concert [Music] the library opened a whole world of music [Music] you watched readers use the typing Center or film about people living on the opposite side of the world and went behind the scenes to see film inspection [Music] you saw children who read with their fingers not with their eyes you knew their curiosity for knowledge the pleasure of sharing interest remember your struggle to read this is much harder but you know what it means to struggle and to succeed what it means to be able to step up a little higher ly confidence in myself can you help me and I'll read more about coming here but I wish I just staying home give me a better understanding the dream is the same as a light it's shining on Savings of light that you travel about [Music] thank you foreign