It usually starts in childhood. I was one of those children who struggled with reading, right up through high school. I was in grade 4 when the teacher discovered that I was unable to use phonics to help me sound out words. Even suffering the embarrassment of being pulled out of my grade 7 class for extra lessons with Basal Readers didn’t seem to help. In Grade 8, I was so terrified of once again being embarrassed by stumbling over words or mispronouncing them in front of the whole class, that I actually refused to read out loud. It took a few critical experiences of becoming a teacher and reading to young children to discover that in actual fact I could read. My teaching and subsequent career of providing professional development for teachers has been driven by the desire to help people of all ages to find their own voices, as I hadn’t for far too long.
I first came across the idea of a whisper phone through an American colleague. I was struck by its potential for overcoming barriers to reading. Here was a simple device that could remove the terror of not knowing the right word when all ears and eyes were upon you. And even more so, this little tool could assist all learners to find their voice, in their own time, in their own private space.
I was convinced – just what we need in South Africa! This little device could open the world of literacy with a whisper for every child, in fact everyone. Not only to hear the words of the author amplified, but to listen to your mind’s thoughts, give expression to what is meaningful to you in the process of becoming more fully literate in our complex society.
This had to be made available for everyone – and in a South African way! Using the Xhosa word for whisper, the Sebezaphone was conceived.
Sebezaphone Leaflet