I've just heard that the kids' show Reading Rainbow has been canceled. I couldn't believe my ears. How did we lose an iconic program that inspired the joy of reading in two generations of children?
According to the story at NPR.org, nobody would fund it. What? NOBODY would fund Reading Rainbow? No parent group, no charitable foundation, no publishing houses? I find that impossible to believe.
Apparently, as part of the Bush administration's No Child Left Behind program, the emphasis is now to be on the mechanics of reading; teaching phonics is the primary goal. That's important, sure. But what good are tools without a vision of what you can do with them?
Not every kid has somebody reading to them at home. Not every kid gets to browse at the library. Without shows like Reading Rainbow, those kids are definitely going to be left behind.
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5 comments:
Oh...I am sorry to hear that...We are going to have a whole generation of people who don't know how to read or do it for enjoyment.....sad....
You hit the nail on the head as there are so many single parent familys that they dont have the time to help there kids. sorry but I dont see it getting any better.
Have a good day Bye Bye Ed
Very sad ..
And are my eyes deceiving me or did you do a blog renovation? It looks great.
That's a tragedy. It's such a great show. I can't believe there's no one to fund it, though. Not even a big bookstore chain? I mean, the show helps foster their future customsers.
Michelle and Ed, that's what worries me, too, that this generation will grow up knowing how to read, but not knowing the pleasure of it.
Daryl, yes - thanks for noticing! I wondered if anyone would. Mostly I just deleted clutter on the sidebar and rearranged it. I often change the Welcome photo at the top, with the seasons or on a whim.
Sally, that's what I thought, too. I'd love to know if they even approached anyone to fund it or simply let it go for political reasons.
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