JOHNNY CAN'T READ

Saturday, March 03, 2007

I learned to read by a method known as phonics and I have been reading and loving it for many years. Phonics was scrapped in favor of the whole-language approach. This approach was predicated on a belief that reading came naturally and that kids would learn to read literally by osmosis. Kids were left to guess at what words meant and never corrected because it is unpleasant to be corrected. When California schools tossed out phonics workbooks, they had had the highest level of reading in the country. But after seven years of whole language, the state was tied with Louisiana for last place in the country.

When George W. Bush was governor of Texas he was shocked to learn that 43,000 third graders could not read but were just passed to the next grade. The numbers continued to grow larger. Bush went to work and changed things for the better and his success is now history.

Today, Johnny still can’t read. Our schools are turning out millions of kids who cannot read. As with so many things this is a struggle between liberals and conservatives. Liberals want a laissez-faire approach because they see it as being liberating, joyful and creative. Conservatives, on the other hand, see nothing wrong with practice, drill, and testing. Practice is the way you get to Carnegie Hall or play tennis.

People don’t understand how profoundly our country is being harmed by turning out millions of kids with heads full of mush. (I realize there are many kids who learn in spite of all this and I am thrilled every time I meet one). Our poverty, our crime stem basically from kids’ inability to access society.

IT’S CRAZY!