Melanie’s Blog

Whole language versus phonics….it’s like a blast from the past!  Whole language was the big “thing” when I was in college and I have taught reading through both whole language and phonics.  In my opinion, I think it’s best to incorporate areas of both.  It may sound naive, but I was somewhat surprised when I read how political the “Reading War” became.  It appears that financial threats were a big part of this “war.”  It is sad that so often teachers’ and administrators’ voices are not heard.  When will others realize that we truly want what’s best for the children and we actually know what’s best for children?  I liked the last line of the article stating that “laws and intimidation can’t limit the advance of knowledge through sound research.”    

Mentioned in chapter 4 of “Teaching to Change the World” was the idea of “seeking balance.”  I am all for manipulatives and meaningful teaching, but I also believe sometimes worksheets and drills are necessary.  For example, I taught punctuation and capitalization through the daily morning message I do in my classroom.  Students would participate and go to the dry erase board to insert appropriate capital letters and punctuation in a letter (the morning message) that I had written to them.  However, when I gave my students the same type of assessment on paper in a multiple choice type format, they acted as if they had not seen it before. 

I was shocked when I read this article and couldn’t believe it was a true story.  It’s hard for me to even fathom that this was in fact a reality for Elizabeth Jaeger.  She was genuinely wanting the best for her children and she was punished for it.  I don’t understand how the administration and county could have pulled her from her job.  Why was she considered such a threat?  Did they not agree with what Ms. Jaeger thought was best for the students and if not, why not?  How could they not agree with differentiating instruction?

When I read the part in which the Open Court Reading had arrived, it made me think of the county in which I am employed.  It seems like we get on a different bandwagon every few years.  It doesn’t even seem as if we have time to implement anything before we’re changing it again.  Not much time is given to see if a program or philosophy works or not.  It seems as if these textbook people and/or publishing companies sell the county on their “cure all.”  Sometimes I wonder exactly who these people are…have they ever taught first grade?  Have they ever taught it in a school similar to mine? 

As I continued to read the article, I was proud of Ms. Jaeger for continuing to fight for what she believed in.  A lot of people would have given up at that point, or wouldn’t have ever started the “fight” in the first place. 

People like Ms. Jaegar are such an inspiration to me.  I would like to read about more people that fight for what they believe in!  At least she received the “In Defense of Good Teaching Award,” but I’m sure what she really wanted was what was best for her students.

“Don’t let the fear of what is difficult paralyze you” was written for me!  I have had a hard time reading almost every chapter and article in all of our classes.  I told my regional group last semester that I felt like I had some type of learning disability because I had such a difficult time reading the different texts!  I felt I was reading the best that I could and still not understanding the texts while my classmates were contributing extremely intelligent summaries and/or opinions. 

Freire mentions seeking help from forms of reference, other teachers, etc.  I was constantly thumbing through the dictionary, but I was not good about asking classmates to talk to me about the articles.  I almost felt that it was cheating or perhaps bothersome to my classmates.  I didn’t feel it was their job to teach the material to me, although I  learned a lot from my classmates by listening to them participate in discussions.  I am always amazed at what my classmates get out of the articles.

 I definitely related to Freire’s mention of abandoning the text.  I reread sentences over and over, realizing I have no idea as to what I’ve read.  I need to take Friere’s advice by “rewriting” the author’s text so more understanding will take place.  I underline and highlight, but once I put the book/article down, I have a hard time summarizing what I have read. 

I need to overcome my “fears” of not comprehending.  I need to continue to discipline myself and engage imaginatively in the meaning making!