F is for Phonics: Letters to the Editor

The troops in the Reading Wars were parents (often mothers) who, thanks to Mary Johnson, were appalled to discover how deficient the sight reading method was. Kids were bringing home good marks because they were tested on memorization of limited vocabulary. But these same pupils were stymied by any new words, and their ability to read or make sense of new sentences was poor.

While many parents with struggling children were relieved to find it was the teaching method, rather than their offspring, who were at fault, they were furious that the Department of Education, the School Board, and administrators at every level refused to take responsibility for the problem and resisted their demands for change. These fed-up parents applauded Mary Johnson and took their fight to the media, which was happy to support their efforts and report on the controversy.

A constant stream of Letters to Editors to the Winnipeg Free Press and Winnipeg Tribune daily papers reveals the mood of parents over the years and creates a narrative of the battle. A good number of these letters are shown below. (Some are scanned from Hazel Fraser's clippings, so the dates and newspapers are not known.)