Outlook Weekend: The School Teacher Who Couldn't Read

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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't learn how to read and 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 that? Image: book with letters flying off the page Credit: efks/Getty Images