RICK PEDLEY spoke of The real story 2 to DAN TRIPLETT on 08-21-96
RP> DT> Remembering that it is young children we are trying to teach
RP> DT> these skills to is important.  Some of our language structure,
RP> DT> especially the  irregular spelling of some words, is very
RP> DT> confusing. 
RP>But 26 letters and 42 phonemes should be a snap compared with what
RP>most Chinese kids have to learn! Even all the exceptions to the rules
RP>in English could be easily memorized, and _were_ when I was a kid.
RP>The whole system has gone wimpy.
I don't understand how what Chinese children have to learn is a 
reasonable argument regarding anything concerning American education.  I 
think you may be referring to the number of Chinese symbols that need to
be learned vrs the few in America.  The comparison you offer cannot be 
regarded as proof for your argument that American children *should* be 
able to learn to read in a snap.  Chinese writing is vastly different 
than English.  I'm not sure an adequate comparison can be made.  What 
Chinese children have to learn has no relationship on what or how 
American children learn nor how difficult (or easy) that learning may 
be. I cannot comment on the state of Chinese education or 
the difficulty of the written language since I don't have any data.  I 
do know they have a 30% illiteracy rate (approximately).  
You say that reading is simply a matter of memorizing phonics and then 
one can read.  Not true.  You say that when you were a kid that children
memorized in a *snap* all the sounds, all the blends, all the 
exceptions, and that since then (since you went to school) the system 
has detoriated (gone wimpy) to a point where children are not being 
taught to read.  Again not true.  
I am also inferring that you suggest that this lack of learning to read 
is not a soceital issue; it is merely an educational one.  Teachers 
aren't doing their job -- the system is failing.  I don't agree.  
I think that we have clearly seen how the system of the past has failed 
many students.  I do not know your age but it would be interesting to 
dig up the data on the reading difficulties of your day.  I think you 
would be surprised to find out that there were many children who had a 
great deal of difficulty learning to read.
Learning to read is not simply a matter of memorizing phonics.  A study 
recently (sorry I don't know more details) where children who were 
taught phonics were tested on their reading ability.  Many could not 
read because they lacked the skill to blend the sounds together.  They 
knew the sounds individually but could not produce the words associated 
with those sounds. 
There are many components to successful reading (phonemic awareness, 
sounds, vocabulary, general language development in the individual, 
exposure to print, left to right movement, blending, sight words, 
[others may add to this list]).  It is not, and never has been a "snap" 
and the history of American education and the teaching of reading would 
show a completely different story.
It is important to consider the societal changes that are influencing 
education today.  I don't want to consider all of them in this post, but
I think it is important to recognize that what goes on in our homes, 
neighborhoods, state and country greatly effects what goes on in our 
schools.
Perhaps the most important factors that assist (or detract from) 
education in this country are the home and what goes on there, and 
technology and how it influences our attitudes toward learning.  
I will write more about this next time if you need additional 
information to help you see that for _many_ children learning to do 
anything, including and perhaps especially reading, is anything but a 
*snap.* 
CMPQwk 1.42 445p
Clinton -- The Carter of the 90's
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