>>There is a second technique, which I did not master but did make the attempt. This technique has you read vertically – line by line. Yes vertically and not horizontal. This is not a joke – and is the technique used by John F. Kennedy and others, to read about 10,000 words a minute. You begin by using a book designed for this purpose. There are narrow columns of words which you train your eyes to scan vertically. You begin with one word columns and progress until you can scan the width of an entire page. As I said I was not able to master this technique. I got to about five words and that was the maximum. For my purposes reading 1200 words a minute was sufficient.
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>>I estimate I have read over 17,000 in my lifetime, and about 99% were non fiction. I am not counting any books required by school or the six years of college I enjoyed. Reading a great deal has given me the opinion that truth exists in the mind of the individual and may not exist in exactly the same form anywhere else.
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>>Hope this has given you some concepts on how to increase your reading speed. It is not really necessary to spend money on a class or even a book. Try the library or the suggestion above about “not breaking the eye”.
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>>Run Spot run. Run Dick run. Run Jane run. Dick and Jane ran after Spot.
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>>Tom
>
>Hi Tom,
>I know the feeling. I was raised RC also. I went to the Evelyn Woods Reading Dynamics to see if it was worthwhile. While we were testing, the instructor stopped me because I was just whipping my finger across the page. My reading and comprehension came in at 900 wpm and 95%. I think that probably had to do with the fact I was reading everything I could lay my hands on since I was very young.
>
>I didn't quite make the category that you're in, which is 'natural rapid reader'. You need 1K wpm for that.
>
>Anyway, the Evelyn Woods course requires two hours of reading a night if anyone is interested in technique. If you've got two hours a night to devote to reading, you're going to get faster whether you're in a course or not. They didn't recommend I take the course, but they were interested in what the improvement would be if I did. I wasn't going to spend what little money I had.
>
>Just my 2 cents worth.
Pete;

Good input. Glad that Evelyn Woods did not "push" you into signing up.

Some things about Catholic School - this might upset some who do not like Catholics.

1. 95-97% of the students who graduate from Catholic High Schools graduate from College.
2. 17% of the students who graduate from Public School graduate from College.
3. Cost of a Catholic Education is less than a Public School. Reason: Catholic Schools have one administrator per hundred students. Public schools have 16 administrators. This data is from the State of California and could differ slightly nationally.

We had 52 students in my class from Kindergarten through grammar school (8th grade). Also have the class pictures to prove it. Just an average sized class for our school - in a San Francisco Irish Catholic neighborhood. One Sister and no assistant. I recall in the third grade the principal Sister Mary Ursula came to our room with one of those 18” paper cutters – the kind they still have today in offices. She said the following: “I heard some of you boys and girls have been talking in class. If I catch anyone talking – I will put your tongue in here (between the cutter and board) and cut it off (while quickly closing the cutter – as if to cut off our tounges with a loud whoshing noise). The good old days!

Now, Public School teachers faint if they have 15 students and have little or no concept of how to teach – but all is not lost! They belong to the teachers union!

Went to Catholic Mass in Sacramento, about seven years ago. Before leaving I told our son and daughter a story about Sister Mary Saint Stanislaus – how she would walk up behind a child and for no reason begin tapping her index finger – very hard – like a wood pecker – on top of a child’s head. I gave a visual representation. She had a problem!

At the end of mass the priest – father Kevin Balard, announced coffee and donuts, so our family went to meet members of the church. Something I have not done before. Father Balard introduced himself and asked where I was from. San Francisco I announced. He asked what part – I said Eureka Valley. He asked: “Did you attent Most Holy Redeemer?” I answered yes. He then said: “Do you remember Sister Mary Saint Stanislaus – how she would walk up behind a child and for no reason begin tapping her index finger – very hard – like a wood pecker – on top of a child’s head. He gave a visual representation. My kids laughed as did many others. It seemed we were sitting at a table where 12 other people were from my old neighborhood! Cool – lots of memories.

Tom