July 9, 2010
The past few months, we have had the privilege and honor of speaking with teachers from all over the world. We appreciate their enthusiastic response to our work, their thought provoking questions, and their dedication to and passion for the children in their care. However, no matter where we travel, one topic inevitably arises which sets our teeth on edge. It usually begins something like this, "My Principal/District/State mandates the use of a scripted program. How do I honor that and do Daily 5 as well?"
Insert heavy sigh here.
Principals/Districts/States deserve recognition for wanting to produce proficient readers and learners, but their misguided attempt to do so usually comes via a program whose infomercial has successfully sold it as the Silver Bullet toward that end. Well, if program X were truly a Silver Bullet, every school in the country would be using it already.
Our students have diverse backgrounds and learning styles. There isn't a single program out there that can meet the unique needs of every child. The "spray and pray" method of whole class instruction from a single scripted program hasn't ever historically worked, so why would we continue to do the same thing and expect varied results?
It might be time to take a stand on behalf of our students. A program may be a million dollar resource, but it isn't a 'silver bullet program'. So, is there a silver bullet? We think so. When our knowledge, approaches and strategies take aim to support the diverse needs of the children in our charge, we will hit our mark and our students will experience success. Therefore, the real silver bullet, the only silver bullet, is forged in the minds and hearts of teachers, who know, understand and work with their children every day.