Those two pieces fueled the current whole language vs. phonics debate. But, since that time, other media reports have fanned the flames of this heated discourse. In the previous article, editors warned parents to be wary if their child's reading instruction taught phonics imbedded in literature. As recently as last week, a major story in Time magazine at first amused, then upset, Routman. But that doesn't mean that teachers aren't teaching phonics.
Most teachers still teach phonics.
For a small group of those kids, a phonetic approach might help. Write letters to the editor. In a year, you might not have a choice. The poem struck home with many conference attendees. I have no problem with this.