[Pearls Before Swine]

“When two vowels go walking, the first one does the talking.”

That rule works for "bead", but not for "chief" or "brief" or even "Shiite."

[FrdmLvr]

There are always exceptions to the spelling/phonics rules and good teachers point that out. This is no reason to throw out the entire system as they did starting in the 60’s.

[christianhomeschoolmommaof3]

I was going to say that. It is so much easier to just teach what the vowels combinations say. That rule doesn’t work in work in MOST cases.

[ROCKLOBSTER]

That rule works for "bead", but not for "chief" or "brief"

That would be chife and brife.

or even "Shiite." Ah yes, islamic spelling...reject it.

See the Redneck Guide to islamic Spelling:

Shiite becomes either she-ite (or the obvious sh!+)....Either of which might be found in a mosk located in Guitar.

[MortMan]

Isn’t “shiite” pronounced by saying the name of the first vowel? ;-P