Watch English Classes As A Possible Battleground
Wente notes that one Trump voter says that immigrants should pay back taxes and learn English. Well, that is definitely an important point — the English part.
However much we may agree, we should also become aware that some of the most insidious undermining of a population could happen via the teaching of reading and literacy. Look up “Reading Wars” and you’ll get some inkling of the battles and polarized divisions. The entire political continuum has been involved — from right-wing to left-wing — from kindergarten to adult education.
Both the methods used plus the reading materials have been blamed for producing socialists or capitalists. This scuffling has gone on for over a half century. Not always evident to the general public, it’s hard to know the current status. Many people in the field of education will tell you there is no longer a problem and that a mix of tools are being used to good effect. That may be true, however, we still remain alarmed at the high illiteracy figures that abound, especially within prison populations.
While English for all is a good policy we should be aware that problems might arise due to the politics of reading. A recent report to the World Bank, which is promoting world literacy. has this caution: “The reading ‘wars’ are alive and well in many low-income countries, often miring ministries of education and teaching centers in seemingly endless debates between the ‘whole-language’ and ‘phonics-based’ approaches.” Being aware of pitfalls should help make the language teaching more true to the results intended and English should not become yet another divisive issue in America.
[Sent to Globe & Mail, Margaret Wente column “Trump voters deserve respect.” Sun Nov 13, 2016]