NO LIFE BUT THIS: A Novel of Emily Warren Roebling is available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.


It is biographical fiction based on the life of Emily Warren Roebling considered to be the first female field engineer and highly instrumental in the building of the Brooklyn Bridge.


http://atbosh.com/authors/diane-vogel-ferri/

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Phonics? Fonixs?

Today I sat through yet ANOTHER training session on yet ANOTHER reading program - a new way to teach reading - another new way! I have no idea how many reading programs I have been trained on - have used - have gone by the wayside because something new came along. It is true that many children are not learning to read as they should and I admire those who are trying to unlock the mysteries of their difficulties. But after so many years of teaching it's hard to keep buying into new things. Sometimes it's just a company trying to make money. They hire really convincing spokespeople that amaze you with their ideas and results - but alas, the same children have the same problems. In honor of this day I thought I'd share a very clever poem that was written by the late Dorothy Griswold - a friend of my parents. This poem explains a lot about why English speaking children have it rough.
Phun with Fonix
When I was youngue, my mother toung
seamed eezy as a brease.
In grammer schules they taut us rools
along with a-b-c's.
With eech gnu wird I wred or herd,
my vocabulary grough.
The rools and stough did know seam tuff
two me. Did thay tue yew?
Bigh and bigh I went to hye-
skule whair thay tought me moar
on hough to spell and sheau and tell,
witch I cood knot ignoor.
I set my hart on lurning eart,
lyke hau to peint and draugh.
But tewday I greave to seigh
my talent has a flaugh.
Sew back I'll gow tew what I no,
Inglish and its youse.
We knead gould turse and huyclass virce
and that's what I'll produse.

5 comments:

CRUSTY MOM-E said...

That's exactly how I text people..by removing a vowel or recreating a word.

Phonics.. I do say that it has helped Jackson learn to read on a first grade almost 2nd grade level..
Now trace Letter A upper case and Lower case. Long vowel short vowel. :)

Have a nice evening tonight!!
Always,
Elizabeth

Ruth Hull Chatlien said...

English has the largest vocabulary of any language, with more adopted words than any other. That's part of the problem.

Not to mention all the things that distract from reading these days.

I admire those of you who teach.

Moohaa said...

You know, as a homeschooling mom I used to try and explain why this makes this sound and though that word looks the same, it makes a different sound. It's crazy. Sometimes I just say... because that's the way it is!

SOUL said...

hmmmm....
interesting poem.

i think a lot of the reasons some kids have trouble learning to read these days is a lot of times -- where they go to school... my nephew-- went to 1st and maybe 2nd grade in san diego-- the hispanic rate was was so so high in that area at the time that his teacher taught the class in spanish ! he didn't learn to read, and struggled throughout high school-- went to summer school every year for the four years in high school.. even went to that sylvanian learning center. he finally learned to read-- enough to get by--- and has a decent job now-- in his mid twenties. the early years of learning are really key...

just my two cents.
old habits die hard... what they learn early, kinda sticks i think, and when they are taught the right way later-- it seems hard to change. ya know.

welp-- i hope you have a really good day

Happyone said...

Enjoyed the poem. It sure proves the point.
English is hard to learn!!