Anonymous wrote:This is such a depressing thread. I taught first and second grade in the mid to late 90's in the era of whole language. I had to secretly teach phonics because I realized it works! I had to hide my phonics books and worksheets and create fake lesson plans. So many teachers and administrators were so thoroughly convinced whole language was fantastic.

I had one identical twin in my classroom in first grade one year. I taught him phonics and another first grade teacher taught whole language. I got in trouble because the parents were livid the child in my class had learned to fluently read while the other twin did not. They returned from spring break after realizing the big difference in skills. The parents demanded the other twin be placed in my classroom and showed the principal phonics worksheets that had been sent home and wanted to know why their non-reader wasn't being taught. The end result was I got in big trouble! The principal was so mad at me for teaching reading well and the other teacher wouldn't talk to me!

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Sorry can you explain what all this means? Especially tier 1, tier 2, and tier 3. Is Fundations and Wilson structured literacy? I have a kindergartener at ATS so we have very little experience with the school system. We picked ATS because my coworker kept raving about it so I figured why not tour it. I did, liked it, applied and DD got in. Definitely have no idea who Calkins was before this week lol though now I’m glad we are in a school that doesn’t use it.

Google “apsva ATSS”

Google “Fundations” “Wilson reading”

Do your own research.

Yeah. Pp you’re basically asking someone to distill for you the science of reading and all the approaches and the merits and downsides of each. People get actual degrees and do research in this. Nobody is going to break it down in one message board comment for you and tbh, if you don’t know what any of this means, you’re not really in a position to be advocating for schools to take any certain approach. It’s just not your lane.

Don’t pay attention to these nasty teachers. If you read The Knowledge Gap, you’ll understand that teachers don’t understand the science of reading at all. They make up theories and go with them. The Cognitive Scientists have actually broken down how to teach different subjects in the best way, yet most teachers are completely unaware.

I don’t completely blame the teachers though. Schools of Education (even in top universities!) teach the teachers faulty theory and methods, so they don’t stand a chance.

People in other developed nations are totally confused with our education system.

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Anonymous wrote:Please read “The Knowledge Gap” by Natalie Wexler. Lucy Calkins is HORRIBLE. I can’t believe teachers go along with this.

Omg don’t blame the curriculum a whole district buys and says teachers have to use on the teachers. How much say do you have over how your leadership tells you to do elements of your job?

I’m a nurse and you’d better believe that if my coworkers and I were instructed to do things that consistently led to bad outcomes, we would speak up and demand change.

WTH?? You’re ok with accepting the failing state of education? I seriously have to question your integrity if you’re ok with continuing to operate this way. Jesus.

Calm down Drama Queen. The problem is this is also what’s taught in teaching programs. It’s been reading instruction for a LONG time. A lot of teachers honestly don’t know it’s not “the best” way to teach reading. I don’t teach elementary but you can also stop acting like teachers are killing children by using curriculum they learned on and are told to use by their district. By all means go lobby the district to abandon it and tell them what reading program you prefer.(you don’t know any.)

I don’t know which is worse, knowing the curriculum you follow is terrible yet choosing not to speak up, or being completely unaware that the curriculum is terrible in the first place. It means you’re either lazy or stupid.

Yes, there are many better options for the chosen curriculum. Many posters have linked specific examples. Children need to be taught to decode. Spelling, phonics, and grammar instruction are critical. A curriculum focused on building knowledge, rather than general comprehension strategies, is much more effective.

How do I, as a nurse, understand this better than you?!

Telling teachers to speak up and say the curriculum the district has chosen is not good is like telling the ER nurse to tell the surgeon he's doing it wrong. And she might actually know he's doing it wrong, but find one nurse who will speak up and I'll find you one unemployed nurse.

False. If a nurse noticed that a surgeon’s protocol was killing over half of their patients, they’d definitely speak up. I speak up (respectfully) all the time!

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Anonymous wrote:Please read “The Knowledge Gap” by Natalie Wexler. Lucy Calkins is HORRIBLE. I can’t believe teachers go along with this.

Omg don’t blame the curriculum a whole district buys and says teachers have to use on the teachers. How much say do you have over how your leadership tells you to do elements of your job?

I’m a nurse and you’d better believe that if my coworkers and I were instructed to do things that consistently led to bad outcomes, we would speak up and demand change.

WTH?? You’re ok with accepting the failing state of education? I seriously have to question your integrity if you’re ok with continuing to operate this way. Jesus.

You are not telling the truth. I have worked in both a hospital and a school and have seen plenty of nurses in bad hospitals, who knew they were in bad hospitals, doing things in bad ways because they didn't have a voice and needed their jobs.

Our schools are structured like the military - principal gives orders, and teachers cannot disobey. You literally can be fired for "disobeying a direct order" from the principal, regardless of what it is.

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Anonymous wrote:Please read “The Knowledge Gap” by Natalie Wexler. Lucy Calkins is HORRIBLE. I can’t believe teachers go along with this.

Omg don’t blame the curriculum a whole district buys and says teachers have to use on the teachers. How much say do you have over how your leadership tells you to do elements of your job?

I’m a nurse and you’d better believe that if my coworkers and I were instructed to do things that consistently led to bad outcomes, we would speak up and demand change.

WTH?? You’re ok with accepting the failing state of education? I seriously have to question your integrity if you’re ok with continuing to operate this way. Jesus.

Calm down Drama Queen. The problem is this is also what’s taught in teaching programs. It’s been reading instruction for a LONG time. A lot of teachers honestly don’t know it’s not “the best” way to teach reading. I don’t teach elementary but you can also stop acting like teachers are killing children by using curriculum they learned on and are told to use by their district. By all means go lobby the district to abandon it and tell them what reading program you prefer.(you don’t know any.)

I don’t know which is worse, knowing the curriculum you follow is terrible yet choosing not to speak up, or being completely unaware that the curriculum is terrible in the first place. It means you’re either lazy or stupid.

Yes, there are many better options for the chosen curriculum. Many posters have linked specific examples. Children need to be taught to decode. Spelling, phonics, and grammar instruction are critical. A curriculum focused on building knowledge, rather than general comprehension strategies, is much more effective.

How do I, as a nurse, understand this better than you?!

Telling teachers to speak up and say the curriculum the district has chosen is not good is like telling the ER nurse to tell the surgeon he's doing it wrong. And she might actually know he's doing it wrong, but find one nurse who will speak up and I'll find you one unemployed nurse.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please read “The Knowledge Gap” by Natalie Wexler. Lucy Calkins is HORRIBLE. I can’t believe teachers go along with this.

Omg don’t blame the curriculum a whole district buys and says teachers have to use on the teachers. How much say do you have over how your leadership tells you to do elements of your job?

I’m a nurse and you’d better believe that if my coworkers and I were instructed to do things that consistently led to bad outcomes, we would speak up and demand change.

WTH?? You’re ok with accepting the failing state of education? I seriously have to question your integrity if you’re ok with continuing to operate this way. Jesus.

Calm down Drama Queen. The problem is this is also what’s taught in teaching programs. It’s been reading instruction for a LONG time. A lot of teachers honestly don’t know it’s not “the best” way to teach reading. I don’t teach elementary but you can also stop acting like teachers are killing children by using curriculum they learned on and are told to use by their district. By all means go lobby the district to abandon it and tell them what reading program you prefer.(you don’t know any.)

I don’t know which is worse, knowing the curriculum you follow is terrible yet choosing not to speak up, or being completely unaware that the curriculum is terrible in the first place. It means you’re either lazy or stupid.

Yes, there are many better options for the chosen curriculum. Many posters have linked specific examples. Children need to be taught to decode. Spelling, phonics, and grammar instruction are critical. A curriculum focused on building knowledge, rather than general comprehension strategies, is much more effective.

How do I, as a nurse, understand this better than you?!

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Anonymous wrote:APS moved in the spring to a different approach for elementary reading. I would have to find the programming language but it is a move away from this.

Does anyone know what they moved to?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please read “The Knowledge Gap” by Natalie Wexler. Lucy Calkins is HORRIBLE. I can’t believe teachers go along with this.

Omg don’t blame the curriculum a whole district buys and says teachers have to use on the teachers. How much say do you have over how your leadership tells you to do elements of your job?

I’m a nurse and you’d better believe that if my coworkers and I were instructed to do things that consistently led to bad outcomes, we would speak up and demand change.

WTH?? You’re ok with accepting the failing state of education? I seriously have to question your integrity if you’re ok with continuing to operate this way. Jesus.

Anonymous wrote:Our teachers clearly do not care about things being evidence based (i.e, 14 days no new cases). I’m sure they felt more comfortable with Lucy Calkins and that why it was used. Comfort over evidence, right?

Anonymous wrote:^ this is why parents don’t belong volunteering in classrooms

Anonymous wrote:APS moved in the spring to a different approach for elementary reading. I would have to find the programming language but it is a move away from this.

Anonymous wrote:My kids did Lucy Calkins for 6 and 4 years respectively, and were way behind in grammar, structured writing, spelling, vocabulary, and so on. They switched to MCT, and it was like a different universe. Both kids became much stronger writers, had a strong sense of grammar, and started to love their language arts classes.

It's just anecdote, but for my kids, LC was awful, and MCT was a much stronger, much better curriculum.