cake and ice cream

I’m starting to feel pressure from these Williams’ readings because I feel as though he is forcing me to choose one side over another in every single issue that he discusses. I can picture him on a first date. “So, Mary, tell me a little bit about yourself. What do you like better, ice cream or cake?” “Well I don’t know, James. Sometimes I’m in the mood for cake, but other times I want ice cream. Actually, I really like to eat them together.” “PICK ONE!” “Ok, fine I like ice cream!” “Very good. Now moving on. What is a better fruit, the apple or the banana?”
Obviously, I am exaggerating; but it is getting hard to decide what side of the spectrum I am on concerning many of these debates. I don’t think education is a black and white world. I think that maybe phonics and whole language should try to become better friends, like cake and ice cream.

I do not specifically remember an early education in phonics. I’m sure it was the method taught to me, but I must have been very young. I remember having letter people in my kindergarten classroom, so we must have been going over sounds and such. Yet, by the time I had entered Kindergarten, I had been read to constantly by my mom, so I had already developed an understanding of reading and writing through meaning and comprehension rather than through sounds and specific words. Now that I think of it, I have no recollection of specific lessons on words and sounds. All I remember are stories and writing assignments that gave me the chance to create my own stories. Maybe this means that I was a more Whole Language centered girl.
As many have expressed, I believe that there should be a balance between the two sides. Both methods bring something to the table. Even though I do not remember my own experiences, I feel as though phonics is an integral part in teaching young children how to read and sound out words. You have to start somewhere! I also feel that it gives a good foundation for a person to become better at spelling and grammar. This sounds terrible, but sometimes I judge people on their spelling and simple grammar skills. This is terribly rude, and I probably have made many errors of my own throughout this blog! But it is true. I get annoyed when people mix up their vs there. The one that gets me the most is when someone spells definitely as definately. This just really bugs me, as I’m sure it does with many of you. However, in the long run these little errors do not drastically change the meaning or understanding of what a person is trying to convey.

I also like a lot of aspects of whole language. I like that it focuses on meaning because I feel more personal connections to this method. I do not think that schools should abandon a standard of correct spelling and grammar. Yet, teachers should be more concerned that a student is learning and retaining meaning through reading before he wins first place in the state spelling bee. I like the method the teacher at the school I am observing at uses to teach her students vocabulary words. She puts a word on the board and then has a bunch of lines running out from the word. At the end of each line, the teacher puts a different way for a student to find meaning in this word. The examples include: origin of the word, prefixes, suffixes, similar sounding words, synonyms, a sentence with the word in it and a picture of what the word means. I feel as though this method includes both phonetic and holistic qualities. Obviously, studying the prefixes/suffixes of the word brings back phonics. Looking at similar sounding words or words with the same letters in it also brings to life phonetical meaning. However, the synonyms and pictures of the word bring with it more of a meaning centered approach. I think it’s a decent approach to vocabulary. I feel as though it will give students more opportunity to remember the meaning of the word through the different examples, which is an aim for whole language. Yet, it also utilizes traditional phonics.

Overall, I think both methods should be included in school curriculums. Phonics is an important way to teach young children how to read. It is also a significant foundation for the application of correct spelling and grammar, which is very important in anyone’s journey in an educational environment. However, whole language seems to be the soul of learning how to read. It is the meaning. Whole language can help students to find meaning in and a connection to a reading within themselves. Personally, I found a little more connection to this method because it made me realize that I knew how to read and write and find meaning in stories before I actually knew how to sound out words and sounds. The funny thing is, I love ice cream. It is the best. Yet, I don’t like to eat cake unless it is served with ice cream. So maybe I just need to have my phonics served to me with a little whole meaning on the side.