Today, Susy McKenzie, who is a member of the Bright Lights Book Project board and a Bonafide reading specialist, gave a talk to the other board members on the Science of Reading. This was to prepare us, methodologically, for what we are going to be doing, which is teaching children to read.

She wanted to further acquaint us with the Science of Reading strategies. She did a good job – her presentation and the material was linear and very well organized.

However, Susy’s talk was on the Science of Reading, exclusively. I chaffed a bit as she talked because I am well aware of the differences in teaching methodology between this and what’s called Whole Language Learning.

I have whole language training, and I am very familiar with the Science of Reading Counter arguments. I was pretty polite in listening to Susy, but I couldn’t help but think that once again, it appears as though I’m going to be arguing for my side of the bed, meaning the side that’s getting slammed. I thought the battles in this respect were over, but they are not. And I know me, I won’t back down.

Alys reading

According to Susy, the reason why children aren’t reading is because they have not gotten the science of reading training, which has a focus on phonics. When I pointed out that I didn’t have any phonics training I was told that I was in the 30 percent who managed to learn without this training.

I nearly said that I was also three percent of the population that was born without wisdom teeth. Me, in all respects, seem to beat the odds.

The question this all begs is, how then, did I learn to read? The answer is that my mother, in addition to my father, was a reader. I saw both reading and wanted to be like them, so I imitated them. This I know. And they must have been reading to me picture books. I remember my grandmother on my father’s side, sending my sister and me The Cat in the Hat and The Cat in the Hat Comes Back, by Dr. Suess.

But my mother – after my parents separated, she was the one who accompanied me to the Dewey Avenue library and made sure I got a library card. And I picked out books, read them, and then returned them.

We lived in one place where we shared a bathroom with tenants on the other side of the building. They left us comic books, in the shared bathroom. My mother wasn’t too fond of my reading so many comic books, but what could she say? She read some of them herself.

My mother’s reading selections were not as erudite as my father’s. And although she worked in a used bookstore, this as opposed to my father’s owning a bookstore, she loved being around books.

So the DNA, which manifests itself as a love of reading of books, is on both sides. And this may be so of other individuals. So phonics be damned -around and around we continue to go.

Next: 299. 11/3/24: With a Little Help from my Horsey Friends