What Ever Happened To Phonics

Teaching computers (as I do)  means I am constantly around kids using the keyboard. Day.After.Day.Hour. After.Hour.

By the end of the day, my ears burn from hearing one repeated question time and time again....all day long.

Nope, it's not "may I use the bathroom?" Although that one can drive me slightly insane at times.

It is "How do you spell___________?(fill in the blank)


Nevermind that Microsoft Word has spellcheck so unless you are WAY off the mark with the original spelling, you should be able to use the built in dictionary provided.

But what REALLY bothers me is WHERE IS PHONICS!!!!!!

So, today: "how do you spell kitten?"  

Me:"k-i-t-t-e-n" sounding out every letter.

But to myself I am thinking, "where in the world is your phonetic understanding, girl. It's just 5 simple sounds with a double consonant in the middle because of the syllabic division!!!" 


Okay...maybe too much for a 2nd grader to understand.  But, it could very well had been a 5th grader who asked me that. It happens all the time.  
Bottom line:
Kids have become way too lazy to figure things out on their own anymore.  It's much easier to ask an adult.