ABC

This classic came to mind today during a meeting about how to improve reading instruction in our state. It is not, the experts stated emphatically, as easy as 123:

ABC

Easy as...

123

Or simple as...

Do re mi

ABC, 123, baby, you and me girl

Now the Jacksons weren't really singing about the teaching or learning of reading, but they do hit upon some of the same themes we talked about at the meeting. Where kids begin, in terms of resources in their homes -- financial, physical, emotional -- resources, makes a dramatic difference in where they are when they show up for Kindergarten.

Come on, come one, come on

Let me show you what it's all about!

Reading, writing and arithmetic

Are the branches of the learning tree

But without the roots of love every day, girl

Your education ain't complete

True enough, except that I don't think it's a shortage of love, even in the poorest of homes. I think there is often a lack of capacity to provide the quality of care every parent would like to be able to provide -- it's just that some know what it looks like and lack what it takes to implement it and some don't even know what it looks like.

"You can't teach what you don't know," one of the experts reminded at the meeting. Same thing goes for parents. This means that teachers working in high-poverty settings have an even more difficult job to do than the tough job all teachers have. But there are teachers in those circumstances getting the job done for the kids and we shouldn't settle for anything less in any of our classrooms.