http://nottrivialbook.com/2012/03/15/is-your-child-really-reading-or-just-guessing/ How Studying the Traditional Liberal Arts Can Set You Free Fri, 11 Nov 2016 19:12:49 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.4.16 http://nottrivialbook.com/2012/03/15/is-your-child-really-reading-or-just-guessing/#comment-12 Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:31:08 +0000 http://nottrivialbook.com/2012/03/15/is-your-child-really-reading-or-just-guessing/#comment-12 I teach high school English, 10th grade to be precise. Yesterday we concluded the hell we all know as the “Exit Exam.” For 6 years and almost exclusively the past 6 month I have been teaching students how to pass this crazy exit exam. My stress level is very high and the student’s stress reaches this same place the week before the test. Many have anxiety so great they cannot sleep. This problem relates to your article, in fact, your article points to the main cause as why this exam was created.
It is quite out of control now, with entire schools dependant on the exit exam score for funding, the problem has gone from one of reading toa national obsession (in education) with work skill readiness hinging upon this test.
I am unable in this short amount of space and time to relate all the real world harm and complications students and their teachers face every day because some jealous, eogtistic, greedy, pompous psychologist 100 years ago decided to throw out phonics and put in place their own failed way to teach reading.
Thank you for your article. I have been asking my administration to address the phonics problem in elementary schools for 6 years, and they only laugh at me. Education is in a sad state, and I am afraid I may be a relic with limited time left in the field.
Hold to the truth. You are right!
vklove811@yahoo.com

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