As I was scrolling through Twitter the other night, the below tweet popped up.
I read it, hit “like” and then reread it, several times. The Science of Reading (#SOR) movement is not new and many of us have been lobbying for evidence-based, systematic, and explicit instruction for students for many years. This year, between podcasts and social media, SOR is having a moment, and quite a moment it is. Dr. Tim Odegard’s intent in the tweet was not to dispel or discourage the use of the Science of Reading. In an email exchange, he mentioned he strongly believes “that time pressure can lead to unintended consequences and missed opportunities for self-reflection, ownership, and growth.” Time pressure is something that resonated with me as timelines and a consistent to-do list are barriers to practice and system improvements. Being stretched thin and then engaging in possibly contentious discussions can lead to misunderstandings and less-than-optimal results as we all strive to improve our schools and practices.
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