“When I couldn’t read the questions on the basic exam at boot camp, I knew I could no longer hide my functional illiteracy,” Cathie* remembers. * Her real name is used with permission. Functional illiteracy is defined as reading and writing skills that are inadequate to manage daily living and employment tasks that require reading skills beyond a basic level.

Building Blocks of Reading Were Missing

Because Cathie deeply loves her family and respects their privacy, she didn’t go into detail about how her family’s financial and relationship difficulties impacted her early reading skills. “It’s enough to say that I lived with and overcame (with God’s help) multiple childhood traumas that hindered my early education.” From an early age, Cathie utilized coping strategies to hide her reading struggles. “I would lean over to a friend and say, ‘I don’t understand this question. Can you help me?'” or “Will you call out questions so we can study for the test?” Cathie’s third grade teacher asked her to read aloud in class. When she couldn’t read the words, he humiliated her. “Because the building blocks of reading were missing, I couldn’t continue adding to what wasn’t there. My reading abilities stopped in third grade.”

Took Every ‘Hands-On’ Elective

Her fourth grade teacher knew there was a reading struggle and referred Cathie for special education testing. Test results weren’t shared and additional help wasn’t offered. “I stopped trying to learn during my fourth, fifth, and sixth grade years,” she shared. “It was so painful to try to learn when I didn’t understand anything.” “High school offered non-reading activities that I could excel at. I took every ‘hands-on’ elective I could take: woodworking, welding, and home economics, to name a few. I was successful when I could learn with my hands.” “I knew I wanted out of poverty. I didn’t want to live in a small town on food stamps. So, I switched my ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) test form with a friend who had already been admitted to college. Serving in the military was my way out. And the ASVAB test was my ticket in.” At her high school graduation, a teacher pulled her aside and said, “You can’t read.” Relief washed over Cathie. Her secret was out. “Up until that point, I felt like a fraud. I knew I didn’t have the skills I needed to graduate. I regretted not asking for help and for lying and cheating to get by.”

Could No Longer Hide My Functional Illiteracy

“Those ASVAB scores did open the door to the Army for me; however, when I couldn’t read the questions on the basic exam at boot camp, I knew I could no longer hide my functional illiteracy.” When her poor reading skills were discovered, Cathie’s commanding officer told her the military would be kicking her out. “In an attempt to stay, I volunteered for every ‘hands-on’ job: weapons specialist, motor pool, and fitness instructor. Those jobs involved reading, but the pictorial language used in the military allowed me to get by. I knew I had to make myself valuable and useful.” When she was stationed in Korea at the DMZ, Cathie spent countless hours in the library with the librarians. “I asked for their help with learning to read, but they weren’t reading teachers. They could only help so much.”

During her third year in the Army, Cathie’s brief marriage ended. “My frustration with my poor reading skills along with how I was starting to repeat the cycle of broken relationships I’d seen as a child led me to attempt suicide. During a three-day weekend, I barricaded myself in my apartment and drank a bottle of Jim Beam and a bottle of NyQuil.” When she woke, she knew Jesus kept her alive. “I felt His love. He whispered to me, ‘I’m not done with you yet.'” Two weeks after her suicide attempt, a friend invited her to a Christian concert at the Air Force Academy. Mutual friends then invited her to church.

Changed the Trajectory of My Life

Her first visit to church ended with Cathie asking the young man next to her to pray with her as she gave her heart to Jesus. “Accepting Christ as my Savior changed the trajectory of my life.” Nearing the end of her four-year Army commitment, Cathie – then a Sargent- reflected on her next steps. “I knew where my academic skills were and where everyone else’s academic skills were. There was a huge gap. I didn’t re-enlist, because I wanted to learn how to read. I enrolled in remedial classes in Idaho.”

No Way to Fake It

Six months passed, and Jeff – the guy who prayed with Cathie – was now a graduate student at Harvard. Something about him interested her. In a moment of bravery, she called him. They agreed to meet in Seattle for a sight seeing trip. During the drive, Jeff needed Cathie’s help with navigating, so he asked, “What does that sign say?” There was no way to fake it, so she said, “I can’t read. I’m getting help, so I can learn to read.” The contrast was obvious: a woman struggling to read interested in a man studying at a prestigious university. But Jeff believed their differences mattered less than her potential. “I feel like God has called me to be here for you,” he told her. Six months later, they were married.

Cathie joined Jeff in Boston where she continued her remedial classes at Bunker Hill Community College. “Jeff would read and write with me every night. He told me we were in this together.” Psycho-educational testing led to diagnoses of dyslexia, dysgraphia, and ADHD. “For the first time, I didn’t feel stupid. Those diagnoses explained why I struggled to read, write, spell, and stay focused. Cathie’s determination, drive, and hard work moved her from remedial classes into a full-time student taking regular college classes. “I was so afraid of failing that I worked my butt off,” she shared. Graduating with an associate’s degree in criminal justice (with a 3.9 GPA) proved she was becoming a strong reader. Cathie continued her education and earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology. With each degree earned, her confidence grew.

Read to Him Every Night

Welcoming their son, Hunter, into their family brought Cathie and Jeff great joy.

“As he grew, I became afraid he would have reading issues like I did, so Jeff and I read to him every night. We took him to the library often.” Hunter did have reading issues, but they noticed it at an early age. Tutoring improved his reading skills and built his confidence. Cathie was beaming when she shared with me that Hunter graduated high school with honors and is in his second year at the Naval Academy.

When Cathie and Jeff moved to Atlanta, she wanted to give back in the very area she struggled. She volunteered to read with middle school students who were identified as struggling readers. “My father-in-law knew why I was volunteering, and he could see the joy it brought me. He told me he could envision me as a teacher. That honestly felt huge as I have always held an elevated view of teachers.” Deciding to try one education course, she enrolled at Central Michigan University. Cathie took more classes and earned a master’s degree in Humanities. She then went on to complete a teacher prep program.

We Were In It Together

Once Cathie earned her teaching certification in special education, she accepted a job at a school for students with severe emotional behavioral disorders and autism. “It was the first time I saw myself as having a career. I had a role that was bigger than I ever thought I could have,” Cathie shared. She moved to an elementary school and was asked to teach reading to her class of special education students. “My first thought was ‘Oh, I can’t,’ but I decided I would give it everything I had. Even if that meant I was strengthening my own reading skills as I taught those struggling readers. We were in it together.”

Cathie developed an insatiable interest in brain plasticity, so she went back to school. She earned her Education Specialist degree in Brain Research. Since then, she’s been a special education lead teacher, a special education administrator, and an assistant principal at an elementary school and a middle school. Functional illiteracy held Cathie back as a young person, but it developed in her a desire to help students become proficient readers and writers. That passion has impacted hundreds of lives.

UPDATE: Cathie’s dream of becoming a principal became a reality! For the 2021-2022 school year, she became the principal of an elementary school in the Atlanta area. Great joy fills her heart at this amazing opportunity!

The Perfect Match

Her passion to pour into others doesn’t just reside in a school building. When Cathie heard about a friend of a friend needing a liver transplant, she immediately signed up to be tested to see if she was a match. She WAS the perfect match. In April of this year, Cathie donated over half of her liver to a woman who was getting dangerously close to the end of the life expectancy for someone with liver disease. Carla will have many extra years of life because of Cathie!

Overcoming Is Life

Cathie believes overcoming is life. “It breathes life, because it gives life. You don’t overcome for you; you overcome so you can impact others,” she shared. She offers this advice: “It’s never too late to start. You are never too old to continue to grow. Your brain has the capacity to learn. Whatever it is, you can do it.”

Leave a reply (below): Frederick Douglass said, “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” Cathie experienced this freedom and is determined to make sure many, many students experience this freedom, too.

If you have a child in your life, share how you are helping that child to become a strong reader. Please know you are giving more than a skill; you are also giving freedom.