Mr. 64

by Gordon Walker

Beverly and I first became aware of Whiz Kids 20 years ago when my dad was a Whiz Kids tutor at Baptist Temple. We never could understand why he would NEVER skip a single week of Whiz Kids. 

Now we do. 

Although it took a few weeks of mutual warmup between the kids and the tutors, the bonds soon became very solid. Seeing Antonio begin to make progress in his reading took me to a point where I was the one who never wanted to miss a week, or else I might miss something big. 

The “something big” came early last spring semester when it seemed the light clicked on for Mr. Antonio, or as I now refer to him affectionately, “Mr. 64.”

Antonio struggles with distraction during our reading time. Our key word to get on track: CONCENTRATE. When Antonio concentrates, he is a highly capable learner. He is plenty smart. Like many, he’s just not all that interested in intentional learning. That was, until January.

In the succession of a few weeks, he began to grow bit by bit, week by week, in this arena of concentration. And then, he grew from being forcefully nudged to read 20-25 pages a week of Dr. Seuss’ “Are You My Mother?” to cheerfully reading ALL 64 in one 20-minute sitting. 

As he reached the halfway point, he suddenly sat up straight in his chair and began to read confidently and with far more than the usual disinterested whisper. 

Mr. 64 was born. 

Beverly and I pray regularly for Antonio and his sister, Liberty, that they would both learn to love learning (Liberty truly has grown to that point this year), and more importantly, to learn to love the Lord. 

Whiz Kids is a marvelous vehicle for both of these goals.

Author Bio
Gordon Walker and his wife, Beverly, will celebrate their 32nd anniversary later this month. The Walkers serve as directors of the TBD Connection Class. They have been members at Council Road since 2008. During the week, they operate NightOWL Publications. They have three children: Brooks, (and wife, Dru), Memphis, Tenn.; Annie, Yukon; and Clay, (1991-1997), Heaven.