Dear Editor:

I have taught all kinds of kids, Black,
White. Hispanic and Asian. I am telling you
that when they get to high school a number
of them cannot read well because they
cannot sound out words in print that they
know by hearing them. We have had a lazyness
in teaching--students do not wish to do
times tables because they are
boring.students do not wish to do drills
and practices in phonics because they are
boring. For young students phonics and
times tables are not boring. We must use
phonics and the whole word method certainly.
We have national reading and number crisis
because of the current fad of no drills and
practices--I speak from the experience of
dealing with high school students for over
20 years. Remember, practice makes perfect.
I also disagree about young minority
students not being able to use phonics.
These students need it the most. All
students, minority and majority are
similarly capable, have the same nervous
system but do not have the same background,
and all can do phonics which will help them
throughout life.

Stewart E Brekke

stewart e brekke, sbrekk@cs.com,
3/27/02

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