ABC's of ELEMENTARY EDUCATION:: A PRACTICAL GUIDE

Throughout the 20th Century theorists and teachers argued about the “best” way to teach reading. In California, when the whole language approach was in vogue, many teachers were forced to ignore phonics. I said forced and this was true. Either they had to teach phonics secretly or they would be insulted, degraded, and intimidated to teach using whole language. I ignored it like I had every other dictate that came from above that I knew was the latest way to “teacher-proof” the curriculum. M...