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J
ohnny can't read! Who's to
blame? The controversy rages
unabated.
The colleges and universtttes say
that h igh schools are at fault be–
cause they are graduating too many
students who have to take remedia!
English befare they can begin col–
lege-level work.
The high schools tell us that if a
student had a poor foundation in
the basics. it's too late to repeat
wha t he should have learned in ele–
mentary school.
The elemen tary schools blame
phonics. or the absence of phonics.
or too much TV watching a l home,
or children's lax reading habits.
Meanwhile SAT (Scholastic Apti–
tude Test) sco res continue to drop,
and the children o f America appear
to be gett ing a lower quality of
preparation for life than the gene ra–
tion just befare them did.
The chi ldren in ques tion a re
your
children. You want to see them suc–
ceed in l ife. You
want them to have
the best educalion
possible. But l here's
inc r easing co n–
fusion over why and
how to tea c h
Jo hnny (and Susie)
toread.
In this article we
are going to basi–
ca ll y ignore lh e
'
1
how" con troversy
and ad d ress o ur–
se lves lo a few basic
q uestions and facts
that deal with lhe
"why." In doing so.
we will give a num–
ber of basic reasons
for bei ng educated
in the first place,
show why parents
need to b e co n–
cerned and deeply
in vo lved in their
own children's edu–
ca lion. tell in whal
ways Mom and Dad
can help, and fi–
nally show what
books and olher
reading mater ial
can best contribulc ..
lo children's needs
~
"
a nd lraining.
8
12
WHY
JOHNNY
SHOULD
READ
In ou r increasingly complex
world, the maslery of reading has
never been more imporlant. Yel
reading scores conlinue lo drop.
Here 's wha l you, as paren ls,
need lo know aboul reading and
basic education - and whal you
can do in your role as "leacher"
in lhe home.
by
Florence Healy French
A Printing-press Education
Perhaps you were asking, "Why is
reading such a conlroversy in the
firsl place?" The answer is because
ou r society is based on and func–
tions on written communication.
and ce rtain levels of success are de–
penden! on skills that are gained
large ly from the printed page.
Lea rning lo read provides the
grealest single key for unlocking
life-long educational opportunities.
lt
unlocks the doors to informa tion
and knowledge available beyond
one's immed iate environment. It
can provide the tools to func tion in
a paper society. It improves commu–
nication skills, st imulates thinking,
crea tes an endless source for ideas,
facts, a nd helpful informa tion. Jt
can mean increased earning power,
stability, and financia ! security. It
can contribute to one's persona l
well-bei ng a nd peace of mind , and
can make a difference between suc-
cess o r failure as a
person.
The Parent-Teacher
There is no greate r
challenge for con–
cerned parents than
the leachi ng an d
prepa ra tion of their
own ft esh a nd blood
fo r a rich a nd re–
warding life. And
one of the grea test
rewards is to see the
definile gi fts and
qualities in their
chi ldren one day
being used to bene–
fit others, whi le al
th e sa m e ti m e
see i ng the " ben–
efac tor" receiving
the due rewards of a
happy, fulfilling,
and productive life
aswe ll.
There are count–
less benefits in the
fo rmal classroom
instruct ion, but the
parent is still the
m os t influ e nt ia l
force in shaping a
child's education .
The parent is the
da y -in, day-out