Parent: I’ve been thinking about your phonics gig. The ability to read is really important.
Dr. B: Oh, my goodness. Don’t get me started.
Parent: By all means. Give me your elevator pitch for reading.
Dr. B: Elevator pitch? Without the ability to read, it’s hard to get out of society’s basement.
Parent: You mean all good paying jobs require reading?
Dr. B: Absolutely. And the ability to read also affects how much we understand things like health risks, nutrition, medical advice, employment rights, the legal system, …
Parent: I get it. Reading opens all doors.
Dr. B: More like, the lack of reading ability closes most doors.
Parent: Lots of kids hate school.
Dr. B: Lots of kids really struggle with reading. That makes school worth hating.
Parent: Ouch.
Dr. B: For children, poor reading is associated with increased risk of school dropout, attempted suicide, incarceration, anxiety, depression, and low self-concept.
Parent: Reading is so central, isn’t it?
Dr. B: Did you know that nationwide, only 30% of 3rd graders read at or above grade level?
Parent: That’s shameful.
Dr. B: The odds of dropping out of school are four times higher for those poor readers.
Parent: And.
Dr. B: And half or all inmates in prison are functionally illiterate and 80% didn’t finish high school.
Parent: Now I’m getting depressed.
Dr. B: It IS depressing. We can go to Mars, but we can’t teach our kids to read?
Parent: Actually, I’m more angry than depressed.
Dr. B: As you should be.
Parent: You said some schools aren’t teaching reading the right way? How can that be? Hasn’t reading been studied?
Dr. B: It has. There is a science of reading. But not everyone studies it, believes it, or knows how to teach it.
Parent: That does sound familiar. Some people have alternative facts about how to teach reading?
Dr. B: Something like that.
Parent: So, if you are a parent, you could feel like your child is getting cheated.
Dr. B: Yeah. Especially if you don’t have the money to go elsewhere.
Parent: Can’t they sue their school system?
Dr. B: Some people have. There are states that have passed laws that phonics must be taught in grade schools.
Parent: Good, but I’ll bet that’s not easy to enforce.
Dr. B: You are sounding jaded.
Parent: It’s been a jaded decade. What’s a parent to do?
Dr. B: Squeak early, squeak often.
Parent: I like that.
Dr. B: If their state has passed legislation mandating phonics instruction, they can make sure that it is actually taught, not just given lip service.
Parent: Taught, as in teachers getting specific training in teaching phonics, having the classroom materials, and receiving the 1:1 tutoring help to individualize it?
Dr. B: Hey. You’re quick to grasp the essentials.
Parent: I get the sense that phonics isn’t exactly rocket science. Phonics may be simple and boring, but it is fundamental. Kind of like needing to know how to multiply and divide.
Dr. B: Good analogy. You seem to be a math guy. Here’s a simple formula for reading.
RC = D x LC
Where (RC) is reading comprehension, (D) is decoding, and (LC) is language comprehension.
Parent: So, it’s great that we read to kids. That’s the LC part. But if we skip the phonics part, the D for decoding part, we are basically multiplying by zero!
Dr. B: Exactly!
Parent: Are parents dependent on schools to get it right with reading?
Dr. B: The quality of teaching makes a huge difference in student outcomes. Like earning $320,000 more over a lifetime.
Parent: Wow. So, a low performing school is costing the community almost $8 million dollars for every class of 25 kids.
Dr. B: And that doesn’t even add in all the extra expenses to the community of social, legal and medical services that accompany the poorly educated.
Parent: So, if a parent is stuck in a neighborhood with poor schools and no choice, what can they do? And don’t tell me squeak.
Dr. B: Learn how to teach their kids to read.
Parent: How?
Dr. B: Same way you fix your car. Start watching YouTube videos about how to teach phonics. There’s lots of material on line, especially given how many kids are home schooled.
Parent: Can I ask ChatGPT how to teach phonics?
Dr. B: Sure, but you probably get what you pay for.
Parent: So, if I’m willing to pay?
Dr. B: Search for How to teach phonics or Parents teaching phonics or Learning Phonics at Home. Or just push the easy button and look up Hooked on Phonics.
