I very obviously have some strong opinions / beliefs on the matters of learning to read, sight-words, child development, etc. And sometimes I state these opinions / beliefs as fact. So let me add some caveats:
:: Everything I say on this blog is my own opinion, which you are free to dismiss if you don't agree with it.
:: I love teachers, and I think they are SEVERELY under-appreciated. I also think they do their very best and want for their students to succeed. When I criticize the way some schools present phonics and sight-words and early reading skills, my criticism is of the educational establishment and choices made by districts/states, not individual teachers.
:: I base my teaching theories on:
- the dozens of books I've read specifically on literacy
- my experiences teaching beginning piano for 15 years (MANY skills translate)
- my years and years of baby-sitting and childcare work
- my experiences raising my son, who was born in 2002
- the research I did when my son was diagnosed with speech and developmental issues as a toddler; I read a lot about developmental and learning disabilities, as well as sensory processing disorder
- my experiences with my current tutoring students
- the learning experiments I do on my best friend's 3 kids :)
:: I WANT all children to learn to read: for it to be fun, and for it to be easy. (Beyond that, I want for everyone to share the same love and fascination toward reading that I have.) It is because so many children do NOT learn to read that I am passionate about reading theory - finding what works and what doesn't.
:: I grew up in Montana and that's where I learned to talk (although I spent age 4 in Texas, which may have influenced my speech, too.) I have lived my entire adult life in Tennessee. Regional accents vary, and pronunciation will definitely be different in other countries - so if you disagree about pronunciation of something, that's ok. :)
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