So now they admit we were right! We conservatives were told we were just old-fashioned and backwards when we said the “sight-reading” method of guessing would not work. An entire generation is now entering the work-force without the ability to read simple instructions. And the ones coming up behind them will also graduate with those deficiencies. And we have teachers that did not learn phonics so will struggle to pass that method on to the students.
In addition, students have missed the enjoyment that the wonderful journey of following a figure of history through their life, or the magic of a good novel on a rainy and lazy day. What a waste!
Can we now return to phonics as the preferred method of teaching a child how to read?
My phonics education base was so strong I can often sound out foreign words. I may not know what they mean, but I can sure break them down ; )