Amusing and provocative at the same time! I am grateful for how you traverse so many fields to bring your powerful message home. And thank you for the shout out. 🥰
Well, once again, you simultaneously made me think, reflect, and laugh out loud. Nicely done. Your, "just a solitary salute to poultry," did indeed make me laugh out loud, and it reminded me of so many classroom situations I've encountered where you just have to laugh, then move on and find the right thing to do. I share the same Camelot memories of our first few years of teaching together. And as I'm the "not the place for the simplicity longings of Occam's Razor" guy, I think I find myself most aligned with the new third group. I love the idea of escape velocity. Beautifully and thoughtfully researched and written, Harriett. Thank you.
Thanks, Mike! Garrison Keillor (pre-controversy) said "happiness is wanting what you have." We knew what we had, we wanted it, and we were happy. Of course, I want this experience for all teachers, but more than that, I want to give all students quality teaching. Given the demands on the profession, I really do think we need a third way. As for classroom mirth, it's that comic relief that can keep us doing what we do. As a former superintendent, you'll be interested in Robert Pondiscio's piece: The Voices We Don't Hear: Teachers Who Gave Up.
Thank you for this, Harriet. So true and so brilliantly expressed. Unfortunately, as we often do, we need to ask "Qui bono?". There is much to gain (ego, money, etc.) in the complexification that we see all around us with reading instruction. Common sense is not so common. I am also rooting for the success of the "third way".
Thank you, Miriam, for the reality check. If this were easy, it would have already happened. Forgive the mixed metaphor, but what we're up against can feel like Sisyphus banging his head against his rock--and ALSO having to roll it up the hill! I often come back to the last line in The Great Gatsby: "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
Oh, I have seen your name a million times and only just now noticed you spell it with two 't's! No edit button on Substack? *Thank you for this, Harriett!
Thank you always for your wise words! This part really resonated: “What Mike’s comment helped me realize is the importance of separating our subject-matter from our students. I still believe that we are overcomplicating reading instruction (more on that), but I also want to acknowledge the complicated souls and circumstances of the children we teach.”
Educators are doing incredibly complex work—building relationships, responding to data, making a thousand micro-decisions in a day.
So of course, they’re craving simplicity in instructional methods.
My own work in schools gives me that reality check daily: the mere mortals among us are not parsing every theoretical nuance we see debated online.
They want—and deserve—clear, usable tools that support the intricate art of teaching students to read. If that’s how they find success, then our conversations should support that, not get in the way.
Thank you, Harriett, for naming this tension and offering a path forward. Posts like this are part of the solution.
"They want—and deserve—clear, usable tools that support the intricate art of teaching students to read. If that’s how they find success, then our conversations should support that, not get in the way."
Thank you, Leah, for always saying the part I left out but agree with! I keep coming back to an analogy to nutrition, how certain small essentials can make a big difference. What are the non-negotiables that we can share with teachers to "tweak" their lessons without resorting to a complete overhaul of their curriculum? And we know that if we focus on the "stuff" that leaves more room for "fluff" that feeds a student's soul, which also matters. Though not the primary objective of each lesson, I do want to make my students as happy as I can--IF I can.
"the mere mortals among us are not parsing every theoretical nuance we see debated online."
It's so refreshing that you are writing articles that resonate with all types of people. It gives me hope for moving literacy forward in positive ways.
Amusing and provocative at the same time! I am grateful for how you traverse so many fields to bring your powerful message home. And thank you for the shout out. 🥰
Well, once again, you simultaneously made me think, reflect, and laugh out loud. Nicely done. Your, "just a solitary salute to poultry," did indeed make me laugh out loud, and it reminded me of so many classroom situations I've encountered where you just have to laugh, then move on and find the right thing to do. I share the same Camelot memories of our first few years of teaching together. And as I'm the "not the place for the simplicity longings of Occam's Razor" guy, I think I find myself most aligned with the new third group. I love the idea of escape velocity. Beautifully and thoughtfully researched and written, Harriett. Thank you.
Thanks, Mike! Garrison Keillor (pre-controversy) said "happiness is wanting what you have." We knew what we had, we wanted it, and we were happy. Of course, I want this experience for all teachers, but more than that, I want to give all students quality teaching. Given the demands on the profession, I really do think we need a third way. As for classroom mirth, it's that comic relief that can keep us doing what we do. As a former superintendent, you'll be interested in Robert Pondiscio's piece: The Voices We Don't Hear: Teachers Who Gave Up.
https://thenext30years.substack.com/p/the-voices-we-dont-hear-teachers
Thank you for this, Harriet. So true and so brilliantly expressed. Unfortunately, as we often do, we need to ask "Qui bono?". There is much to gain (ego, money, etc.) in the complexification that we see all around us with reading instruction. Common sense is not so common. I am also rooting for the success of the "third way".
Me too Miriam! I go back to our in-person conversation all the time.
Thank you, Miriam, for the reality check. If this were easy, it would have already happened. Forgive the mixed metaphor, but what we're up against can feel like Sisyphus banging his head against his rock--and ALSO having to roll it up the hill! I often come back to the last line in The Great Gatsby: "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
Oh, I have seen your name a million times and only just now noticed you spell it with two 't's! No edit button on Substack? *Thank you for this, Harriett!
Thank you always for your wise words! This part really resonated: “What Mike’s comment helped me realize is the importance of separating our subject-matter from our students. I still believe that we are overcomplicating reading instruction (more on that), but I also want to acknowledge the complicated souls and circumstances of the children we teach.”
Educators are doing incredibly complex work—building relationships, responding to data, making a thousand micro-decisions in a day.
So of course, they’re craving simplicity in instructional methods.
My own work in schools gives me that reality check daily: the mere mortals among us are not parsing every theoretical nuance we see debated online.
They want—and deserve—clear, usable tools that support the intricate art of teaching students to read. If that’s how they find success, then our conversations should support that, not get in the way.
Thank you, Harriett, for naming this tension and offering a path forward. Posts like this are part of the solution.
"They want—and deserve—clear, usable tools that support the intricate art of teaching students to read. If that’s how they find success, then our conversations should support that, not get in the way."
Thank you, Leah, for always saying the part I left out but agree with! I keep coming back to an analogy to nutrition, how certain small essentials can make a big difference. What are the non-negotiables that we can share with teachers to "tweak" their lessons without resorting to a complete overhaul of their curriculum? And we know that if we focus on the "stuff" that leaves more room for "fluff" that feeds a student's soul, which also matters. Though not the primary objective of each lesson, I do want to make my students as happy as I can--IF I can.
"the mere mortals among us are not parsing every theoretical nuance we see debated online."
Love this!
It's so refreshing that you are writing articles that resonate with all types of people. It gives me hope for moving literacy forward in positive ways.