There was a time when I would have groaned if one of my daughters rejoiced in pointing out a typo in a book. I do not want to raise pedantic people.
But when my 8yo found a typo while she was reading the other night I was overjoyed.
Actually, I could barely believe it.
Typos, as something to point out as opposed to gloss over, have long been a thorn in my side. I spent 20-plus years at top newspapers and magazines that had plenty of highly skilled editors and copyeditors. And still typos got through – because they always do.
I remember reading the first front-page story I’d written in The New York Times, sitting in my car after dropping my daughters off at school, holding the paper in front of me. And then I turned to my phone to be greeted by a nudgy email from a very proud reader: there was a typo in my story, said pedant pointed out with pride. (At least it was after the jump.)
Typos get into newspapers and magazines not because of carelessness because of an abundance of care in reviewing, checking and rephrasing the facts of the story that matter – who did what to whom when and why. Read a story enough times and your eyes gloss over an inconsequential letter or mark on the page – or there is so much strike-through from the editing software that it’s impossible to see.
If I’m honest I hold letter writers who point out typos in particularly low regard. Get a life.
So why was I so overjoyed for my daughter spotting a spelling error in a book? Because she’s severely dyslexic and also has problems with vision tracking. The combo means the jumble of vibrating letters a dyslexic person sees also don’t stay on one line. For her to see that typo, recognize it, have the confidence to call it out – it filled me with overwhelming joy that she’s really reading.
“The cubs loves nuts,” she read. And then she said: “Dad that’s not right. It should be The cub loves nuts.”
“Yes, I said. Yes, it should be that.”
She was beaming.
My wife has been indefatigable in leading our fight for our daughter to get an education that will teach her how to read. I’ve been the homework parent, making sure all that our daughter can do to move this process along gets done.
I’m so proud of her. I’m so grateful that we have the resources to get her the help she needs.
I’m also frustrated that the way we teach reading in public schools puts upwards of 25 percent of students at a disadvantage. This was one of the many are-you-kidding-me moments from Anna Toomey’s “Left Behind” documentary. If all of our kids were taught to read the way dyslexic kids are taught to read almost all of them would learn to read – and the kids who read through the current methods would just end up with a strong foundation.
So fight for your kids in school. Don’t be passive. Be skeptical, like a journalist. And if you’re a typo spotter, just don’t be smug about it.
