Letters January 2006

Sharing Joy
I just wanted to share the following e-mail I received to let you know that your work continues to make an impact in the world of education. Each time I read your magazine, I am reminded of the heart and soul that go into teaching our children each day. It inspires me to continue on this sometimes-challenging journey of making a difference.
Joy Warner
Huntersville, NC

Dear Ms. Joy Warner:
I have been working on my doctoral dissertation and came across an article about your school titled "A Wish and a Prayer" in Teaching K-8 magazine (May 2004). I was fascinated by it. I and a partner have a provisional charter for a nonpublic school servicing children ages 3-5. The philosophy is "all children are entitled to a specialized education. We honor individual learning styles while providing unique social, emotional and academic strategies." I noticed you used the Basic School philosophy, about which I was unaware. Our philosophy is very similar to Basic School's, though it just services preschool-age children. I am interested in some more information and a possible site visit to your school. I am also curious about how you made your vision a reality. Looking forward to learning more.
Warmest Regards,
Tami Pelosi

Editor's Note: Joy Warner is the director of Children's Community School in Davidson, NC, which we visited for our May 2004 school story. To learn about Basic Schools, visit www.messiah.edu/boyer_center

Thoughts on phonics
I would like to respond to Maryann Manning ("The Real Reading Crisis," August/September 2005) as a former school psychologist, the mother of two and an avid reader. I learned to read by phonics 63 years ago; it made perfect sense to me and I cannot imagine anyone learning any other way. My youngest daughter learned to read when she was four by watching The Electric Company. This was her own idea. She said she just did what they said and it worked.

However, I've realized that the fuss about phonics is about something more general. Surely it is important to know what sounds are associated with what letters, but all the other rules seem unnecessarily complicated, as Manning implies. Looking back, I simply tuned out when the teacher started in on "that stuff."

I respectfully suggest that the problem of comprehension is not a problem of reading, but a symptom of too little experience with language in one's environment. I was fortunate that a grandmother lived with us who could be coaxed to read to me as much as possible. Then when I read on my own and found a word I did not understand, it was a fairly simple matter to play with it until I realized that it was really another word that I did know.

Further, lack of "comprehension" can be a symptom of overall lack of interest in learning. My older daughter was a bit of a contrarian, and did not learn to read until her sister surpassed her, whereupon she quickly made up for lost time!

Regardless of these concerns, this is a very thoughtful article and I hope it receives the attention it deserves.
Nancy Rader
Acton, MA

January, 2006, Vol.36, No.4