[goodwithagun]

I am a public school teacher. I have classrooms full of 11th and 12th graders who can't read. Nationally, public education facilities have adopted a word memorization reading program and have dropped phonics. There are even cases where schools have sent home letters instructing parents not to teach their children phonics because it doesn't work. Unfortunately that is all a lie and Big Ed knows it. It's easier to control a stupid society.

[cripplecreek]

I think phonics is necessary to understanding. Its especially true as you advance into things that use latin root words like science and medicine.