Good teachers know that the idea that if a child hasn't "learned to
read" by the end of 3rd grade he or she is doomed is nonsense. But it
has been bought hook, line, and sinker by the public, the media, many
administrators, and people who have no business sticking their nose in
a classroom but who wield lots of power in the dissemination world.
And because THOSE people believe it and are driving much of what goes
on in the classroom these days, well..... self-fulfilling prophecy and
all that..... unless the teacher digs in his or her heels.
Renee
On Sep 5, 2009, at 8:32 PM, Ellen Schwartz wrote:
Kim,
Thank you for this story! I am always mortified when I hear people say
(authoritatively, no less) that if a child hasn't "learned to read" by
the end of 3rd grade he or she is doomed. Of course that will be the
case if we believe it to be and give up on the child. We need stories
like the one you have shared to counteract all those baseless
generalizations about human limitation.
--Ellen
"Discontent is the first step in the progress of a man or a nation."
~Oscar Wilde
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