Reading Instruction, The Attack on Teachers, and Two Areas of Concern
Almost every day there’s another report attacking teachers for how they teach reading. It divides parents and teachers. It’s also dangerous at a time when there’s a teacher shortage and teachers are banding together to try to save not only their profession, but public education.
I don’t like to see my profession criticized so harshly by those who don’t teach and who have never taught. I fear that with this animosity towards teachers, those with minimal teacher preparation will end up in classrooms pretending to be teachers.
However, I also know parents with children who have dyslexia or reading and writing difficulties. Having taught students with such disabilities in middle and high school, I understand how frustrating it is for young people to struggle with reading and writing.
But everyone focuses on phonics while there are many other variables that could be problematic for children when it comes to reading instruction.
Here’s what’s being said and my questions and concerns about two of those areas.
Children with dyslexia don’t get intensive reading instruction based on science.
What happened to resource classes? For years public schools at the elementary, middle, and high school levels offered smaller classes involving intensive remedial reading for students with reading and math disabilities. Resource classes should be CONTINUE READING: Reading Instruction, The Attack on Teachers, and Two Areas of Concern
