rebel rules
My lifelong belief is that children express and develop themselves in play. Those who learn to read and write early are formed by self-reflection before too many adults get into their soup. Those who remain curious become aware and can self realize — going on to be fulfilled and successful on their own terms.
In 1986, Lucy Calkins published a book called The Art of Teaching Writing. Later, she expanded this to include reading instruction as well. At the time, the general intellectual, moral, and cultural climate of the era favored an approach known as “whole language.”
“If we make our children believe that reading has more to do with matching letters and sounds than with developing relationships with characters like Babar, Madeline, Charlotte, and Ramona, we do more harm than good.” ~ Lucy Calkins
This advocated independent reading of full books and suggested that children should identify words from context clues rather than arduously sounding them out. Progressives loved it, because it emphasized playfulness and agency. Although in practice, whole language had some obvious flaws. While some children do appear to pick up reading easily, many benefit from focused direct instruction.
My daughter was raised and educated in an autocratic world deeply rooted in our pretentious and backward sugar bowl island. A Benedictine education in the local academy was her haven and sanctuary. As well as the school’s cavernous library lined with wall to wall spines of moldering books.
Curious, enterprising, and innovative — her seditious soul always longs for more. She grew up with a quick wit and an astounding vocabulary she fearlessly flings ar and wild — even if at times hilariously mispronounced. “Accent on the wrong syl-LA-ble,” as Mitch Valdez, a popular local entertainer loves to joke.
Largely self taught by hunting and pecking through voraciously devoured books — to feed her growing avaricious greed for knowledge not readily available to her. Her interior world and outer expression soon overflowed in overabundance — much of which may not have been age appropriate. Even today, she does love to read aloud to herself and whomever else she can ensnare.
She does us all royally proud.
Originally published at http://changewarrior.blogspot.com.
