[rellimpank]

---yes---while I almost never even clickon a NYT article this is correct and the disgusting part is we have been going through this "debate" for most of my lifetime.

"Phonics" is the only proper way to learn to read---

[alloysteel]

Fonix - thuh wei 2 a-tak wurdz.

Have people not noticed the degradation of words in text messages? And cursive adds yet another dimension to associating sounds with text, that too is being phased out of all learning.

[Yaelle]

Brains are not all the same. Teaching is guiding other brains to discover. Children learn to read in different ways. Those who crack the code before they enter formal schooling do memorize stories and crack the code, literally, learning that “tough” means tough no matter how it looks. English is possibly the worst language for phonics, with all the exceptions with our crazy bastardized spelling.

Phonics should be taught because you can’t pick it up on your own. But sight reading, using memory, happens too - it cannot he stopped any more than recognizing colors or patterns can be stopped.

Teaching Reading is about guiding the child through phonics, exposing them through repetition, and HELPING THE CHILD WHO IS HAVING DIFFICULTIES, at their level and with whatever disability they may have to make reading harder. And definitely exposing them to parts of the world that depend on reading, which makes it fun and necessary! Including video games!