Isolationism: Not the Best Path

From Ukraine to the large urban school district

Greetings, Friends

I hope Spring has found you. It’s still looking for us in Buffalo (snow in the forecast this weekend!), but optimism prevails, like Birkenstocks on a 40 degree day.

I am currently doing a deep-dive into the literacy problem facing America, and reading the book “The Knowledge Gap” by Natalie Wexler. Pick it up. You won’t regret it. What’s happening in schools today, especially large, urban districts serving at-risk youth, is avoidable, unconscionable, and must be tackled now.

I’m learning about structured literacy vs. balanced literacy, phonics vs whole language, the Reading Wars, why teachers are not being taught evidence-based methods of instruction, and more. If you’re a teacher and familiar with all this, shoot me an email and let me know your thoughts. If you’re a parent who has no idea what’s happening (like I was), it’s time to know what works, and start demanding it.

I had an epiphany yesterday best expressed by curriculum expert Karen Vaites: “Parents just might be the straw that breaks balanced literacy’s back.” Meaning: we need some parent advocacy to demand better from reading instruction in schools. A 30% literacy rate is not okay. Even if your school has a 75% literacy rate, what about the quarter of the kids that CAN’T READ? There needs to be widespread, collective outrage.

Don’t have time to read or listen to “The Knowledge Gap”? Then just read this.

In a roundabout way, this ties in to the piece that I wrote this week on Medium about isolationism, from Ukraine to the Buffalo Public School District. I believe we have an obligation to our large, urban school districts, who are suffering mightily as we emerge from this pandemic. Turning away from the needs of others does not service any of us in the long run.

I hope tulips start budding in your neck of the woods soon.

xo,

Tarja