The school teacher who couldn鈥檛 read
John Corcoran never learned to read or write. He managed to keep his secret for more than 40 years, even when he was a high school teacher.
John Corcoran grew up in the US during the 1940s and 50s. As a kid, John was really looking forward to going to school like his older siblings. But once he got there, he realised he had a problem: he couldn鈥檛 learn to read or write. John felt demoralised and degraded, but he kept his secret for more than 40 years. During that time he managed to finish school, graduate and he even became a high school teacher. How did he do it?
This episode was first broadcast on 14 April, 2018.
Producer: Alice Gioia
Presenter: Maryam Maruf
Image: books with letters flying off the page
Credit: efks/Getty Images
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The Outlook Podcast Archive
True stories of ordinary people and the extraordinary events that have shaped their lives
