Glenn Doman’s Legacy Shapes Future Generations
Like Maria Montessori, my father, Glenn Doman’s, work began with children with special needs. He created the Doman Method to help kids with special needs develop cognitively, physically, and physiologically. When Glenn Doman wrote the international best-seller How to Teach Your Baby to Read in 1963, he learned that the same neurodevelopmental programs which helped children with special needs could be used to teach all children how to read and do math before school age. Glenn is primarily known for his work with children with special needs, but his passion and love for all children was just as determined and energetic.
He spent the next 50 years of his life expanding the Doman programs for neurotypical children to a totally holistic program. The Doman Method was designed for parents to teach their young children at home themselves. This program “school-proofs” kids. They learn from their parents, go to school reading independently, doing math many years ahead of grade level, and having a broad range of knowledge, not to mention being physically and socially above age level too. They retain their love of learning throughout life.
My father was born on August 26th, 1919. He learned to read at age three, sitting on the lap of his mother who was trained as a school teacher. My grandmother was a farm girl and the tradition in those days was to teach your kids at home before they went to school. My father would be thrilled that his grandchildren at Doman Learning have carried on his work and improved it. His goals for the next generation of children worldwide were:
To make young children more capable, happier, and better prepared as adults to solve the problems of humanity.
To create a worldwide culture that values curiosity and a love of learning, where parents pass on a passion for learning to their children, who, in turn, do the same for their own children. Creating smarter, more effective generations that take leaps and bounds forward to better humanity.
Because of the Doman Method’s effectiveness for children with special needs, if all children are taught before school age using the Doman Method then children with mild or moderate neurodevelopmental issues would be able to go into the classroom with their learning delays resolved. In some cases, parents would never know their children were destined to have problems.
My father constantly worked to improve his methodology in order to get better results. Doman Learning has continued this philosophy. Doman Learning provides better, easier, and more enjoyable teaching programs for parents. Lectures are taught by Spencer Doman in brief 5-8 minute videos, making it convenient for parents with busy lifestyles. The thousands of Doman reading words have been refined over 60 years and cost parents a fraction of what they cost decades ago. The same is true for Doman Cards and Doman Math Program. Our objective is for our courses and materials to be affordable for all parents around the world. Our thousands of reading words are translated into Spanish, Italian, Russian, Serbian, Polish, Greek and Arabic.
Going forward, Doman Learning will gradually expand its platform to include physical development for babies starting at birth, helping babies to crawl, creep, walk, run, and eventually, brachiate and swim. The learning program will include problem-solving, foreign language, and writing. The nutrition program, based on our recent book, The Doman Cookbook, already includes 150 healthy recipes for children and the whole family. Years ago, parents asked for a sleep program. Melissa Doman developed it, and now we have years of experience with hundreds of children. Our babies sleep happily and well through the night. This gives our mothers and fathers in particular a good night’s sleep which then permits them to wake up the next morning and teach their babies anything and everything with joy and enthusiasm.
My father Glenn was not a materialist. In preparation for his birthday or the holidays, he would always say that he had everything he wanted and didn’t want anything else. He said the greatest gift in his life was the thousands of letters he had received from mothers and fathers of three generations who taught their babies at home with great joy and pleasure. Doman Learning continues to give him that birthday present year after year.
If you would like to share your story with us, fill out the form below. We love to hear stories from families like yours.
