Whole Language

http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/reading/whole_language_lives_on.html will tell you more about it.

True followers of whole language *believe* in it. So the idea that it doesn’t work for everybody — that’s just too analytical. It’s like looking at all those phonics elements. We just need the global view — hey, it works for enough kids, and looks like it works for even more (and gosh, they’re having fun, right?), so as long as you don’t *worry* about the rest of the kids, what’s the big deal?

Unless, of course, it’s your kid.

I’d find a structured phonics program and teach him at home — you’re not likely to convert the believers.

I second that - and good luck to you!! With the amount of money your district just spent on the program, you’ll be hard pressed to find them willing to go “back.” However, you may want to consider speaking with the Special Ed teacher in the building. As one myself, I don’t have to follow what the rest of the district does as I just need to find what WORKS for my students and use it (novel idea!). Good luck to you!

His special ed teacher uses a phonics program—I’m not sure which one but he gets instruction in that. I’m not sure how she feels about the whole language program. I just can’t believe they went and did something like this.

Andrea

My school just did the same thing! I think all the salesmen from California have moved east! Actually, my school selected another strict whole language program about 10 years ago. When it was discovered that the majority of 3rd graders couldn’t read, they allowed the teachers to go back to the old ways..not that the old ways were terrific…some phonemic awareness exercises and a few months of onset rhyme followed by a look-say reader. But, alas, 10 years ago we had a different principal, and a different reading specialist, and these new people have to learn the hard way all over again, at the children’s expense. For the time being (the kids in this program are only in 1st now) they are getting grant money and the principal has a big “blue ribbon reading l” award promenently featured on her wall…It should be interesting to see what happens when the 1st graders take the 3rd grade reading tests and the results are published in the newspapers so that all can compare our scores to other districts in the state. Maybe then the teachers will be permitted to get out their onset rhyme sheets and their associated little hand written stories again, and things can go back to normal for a few years until the next high pressure salesman comes to the door.

Whole language has been a disastor for our kids!! Shame on those selfish, blind dogmaticists who can’t get beyond their theories to the facts of their disastor. Blood is literally on their hands. No quarter in our fight against this destructive educational fantasy!!