Raising Readers, Writers, and Spellers

An expert guide for parents.

by J. Richard Gentry

Hypocrisy Surrounding Common Core Standards

By J. Richard Gentry, Ph.D. on October 25, 2011 in Raising Readers, Writers, and Spellers

Common Core State Standards are the new hot topic in American education, perhaps as important in shaping what happens in America’s classrooms as No Child Left Behind. Some interpretations of the Common Core State Standards seem to call for yet another assault on teachers and their current practices. Read More

Big Idea

Submitted by Terry on October 25, 2011 - 10:29pm.

Hi Dr. Gentry,

I definitely agree with your two big ideas. One more big idea that
I would add would be the importance of “Reading for Pleasure”.
Even if a child learns how to read as a toddler, he won't learn to
read at a high level unless he continues to read as he gets older.
The kids who only read in school or for homework will never learn
to read as well as children who read for pleasure outside of school. And as you point out, make the teacher's job a lot harder.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/2494637.stm

http://esciencenews.com/articles/2010/05/20/books.home.important.parents...

“What we read with inclination makes a much stronger impression.
If we read without inclination, half the mind is employed in fixing the
attention; so there is but one half to be employed on what we read.”
- Samuel Johnson

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blame the teachers? what

Submitted by Anonymous on November 22, 2011 - 10:02am.

blame the teachers? what teachers? are there any fools left? the sad thing is that teacher like me are not burned out on the kids or teaching. we're burned out on the system. i'd love to see if parents would vote for all this crap if the standards had to be met through home schooling. most can't even manage to get their kids to turn the tv off long enough to have a conversation with them.

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J. Richard Gentry, Ph.D., an expert on childhood literacy, reading, and spelling, is the author of Raising Confident Readers: How to Teach Your Child to Read and Write—Baby to Age 7.

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