Great example you gave to illustrate your point, Amelia: the "phonics" verses "whole language" debate. Not everything has to be "one or the other." Take the best of everything -- and use it to the kid's benefit.
Well, Summer, as a homeschool mom, I do tend to think it's virtually "all" phonics. :) Whole language teaches kids to look at words as a whole instead of breaking the words down into their sound symbols. Just as children need consistent practice in left to right orientation, they also need consistent practice in decoding from left to right.
Ya' know, good readers will learn to read with just about any method of instruction, while poor readers who need extra help are done a serious disservice by being confused by the whole language approach. Besides, "whole language" is extremely time consuming and expensive. I can teach a child to read with a little phonics primer, while whole language instruction costs the taxpayer a fortune, and kids spend hours "playing" at reading, instead of actually learning to read.
Just my 2 cents. Glad to see you around. :)