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“Truly fine poetry must be read aloud.  A good poem does not allow itself to be read in a low voice or silently…  Poetry always remembers that it was an oral art before it was a written art.  It remembers that it was first song.” (Borges, The Divine Comedy).

I find myself to be most productive when I build in feedback loops: quiet moments to contemplate my process as part of a greater whole of my human experience–academically, experientially, and socially. These feedback loops orbit a more general external process of trial and error, ideally also building in moments for feedback with (and from) others. This cyclical undercurrent is perhaps derived from growing up with an older brother on the Autism Spectrum. Mike, who has a penchant for watercolors and rebus puzzles, zero guile, and can memorize entire movie scripts by simply hearing them, taught me to think of language, communication, and learning differently.  However, the difficulty he faced with reading and functioning in a classroom environment caused him to learn in ways outside the norm.  I interviewed Mike for a first-hand look at someone who inherently learns from an alternative literacy.

E: Can you remember when you were little, what was your favorite way to learn something new?

M: Mostly by videos.  You might recall back when we had old time VCRs, I always liked moving back and forth to my favorite part in the video [rewinding back and forth].  In the old days it used to get me in trouble because mom and dad were worried it would get stuck in my head, but I actually got to take advantage of that.  I was able to memorize it by listening to it several times.  Also reminds me of Beakman’s World [old kids science show].  (My teacher in grade school asked a question) and I raised my hand up and I said in the exact words on Beakman’s world and my teacher was really impressed and I got to do an experiment for the students.

E:  Were there other ways outside of school you learned about things?

M: I first got started into computer games cause I thought the video games with the handheld controls were too difficult because I wouldn't be able to progress to the next level… it did teach me about math, but while I was still at Ardmore school, when we got to see school house rock, multiplication rock, I became a multiplication wizard.  I could remember all the multiplication problems from each song and could figure out the answer very quickly.  I remember seeing a dry erase board or chalkboard and I wrote down multiplication problems that filled the whole board and all the answers were correct.

E: And you did that because you were able to memorize them saying it in the song?

M: I memorized the song, but mostly the music as opposed to the words

E: What was hard about school?

M: When it comes to me it’s a little different for me.  There’s something called silent reading that you learn in class and silent reading was a waste of time for me.  I had so much stuff in my head that I couldn’t figure out where I was in the book, I’d be stuck on one page for a very long time, specifically if there were many rows of words - I think paragraphs is the word I’m looking for – I forget where I leave off.  I liked stories being told in pictures better.  It’s easier to understand the sequence of images than just words on a page.

[Mike taught himself cartooning, woodworking, and painting from watching various TV shows.  He currently does a lot of painting and drawing and specifically like to paint the same landscapes he sees on TV over and over again]

E: Your big hobbies have been woodworking, cartooning, and painting… how did you learn how to do these?

M: I thought you’d never ask that!  Actually while I was still in Ardmore School [grade school] I was always thinking of what I wanted to be when I grow up, and I wanted to be a weather man!  But then I came across a TV show that showed how to draw cartoons… I started taking notebooks and drew pictures of faces that were similar to the ones I saw on television by that same person. Course as I got older, my cartooning skills progressed.  While I was in middle school I got to do cartoons for a talent show and that make me very popular among everyone.  That’s another way of learning from television or videos.  I heard watercolors were a difficult painting medium and I started to believe that until I saw another show...and tried it.  They said it was like a beginners painting and I kind of made it look easy.  Grapes and grape leaves and something like that.

[Mike periodically becomes fixated with a certain show or series.  Lately, he has been obsessed with reruns of certain old games shows]

E: What is it about game shows that interests you?

M: Certain ones, they kind of build up my memory.  One game show that I particularly like the most is one from way back, “Classic Concentration.”  I like the rebuses.  I remember seeing it on a hospital television one time.  I didn’t see the game, I just saw a game show being on the television and one thing that I thought looked familiar was the host of the game show, Alex Trebek. Though it was originally just called “Concentration” and the original host was Hugh Downs. Reading though pictures.  A picture puzzle you might call it. I like the way the artist who made the puzzles made them so that… I'm trying to find words here…I like the way the rebuses have a lot of things happening in them.  Like images- I mean letters- and figures and things like that…I like making them.

E: Do you think it's easier for you to learn from videos and images instead of being in a classroom or silent reading?

M: Yes that was my way of learning.  Everyone has a unique way of learning.

November, 2014