I was always trying to read during kindergarten naptime, and bless my first grade teacher who worked out that the reason I got disruptive during reading time is bc I was bored silly, so she went and got me books from the 4th and 5th grade classrooms or let me bring & read my own.

And now I'm wondering if their confusion was partly because if I'd been relying on the three-cueing system, there's no way a kid my age should've been able to guess the meaning of words well beyond what I'd encountered before.

The people administering the test were flabberghasted. Whispering to each other. Trying to figure out how else to assess me. I had broken whatever system they were attempting to use. I assume my data was eventually thrown out as an outlier.

I have no idea what it was or how it worked; we just sat down at the little Apple II and did... something.

I tested off the scale because it only went as high as measuring a 6th grade reading level. I know this all sounds like a humblebrag, but even at the age of 6, I could tell it unnerved people.

... Okay, now I'm wondering if this explains something about an early memory.

When I was in the first grade, something happened in my elementary school where they were using some new computer system to test reading skills.

(And I have no memory of how I taught myself; I was, according to my parents, not quite three years old yet, so I don't have a lot of memories from before then.)

I have genuinely no idea what I was being taught in the early 90s, because I taught myself to read at such a young age that I never paid those instructions the slightest bit of attention in school. I just read what was put in front of me.

It would not surprise me in the slightest to discover there's an overlap between the kids who've learned three cueing and the ones who go on to be likely to trust in genAI. After all, it predicts what word's going to come next, just like they do. Why should they assume that's wrong?

FROM UNSEEN FIRE is Book 1 of the Aven Cycle, historical fantasy set in an alternate ancient Rome with magic. All three books are available in print, ebook, and audio: linktr.ee/cassrmorris

I mean there's a REASON we'd all believe it

Legit one of my very favorite things to do is install myself at a cidery or winery to write. They're always in beautiful places! And those two are, IMO, the Very Prettiest. So I get a great view and a nice libation to get the words flowing.