It’s one of the most bizarre and destructive events in American history. Circa 1931, public schools started using Whole Word to teach reading. (This method has many other names, such as Look-say, Whole Language, Dolch Words, and Sight Words.) Almost immediately, children started having psychological problems – i.e., mental health issues.
The typical pattern is that a boy will reach the second or third grade and realize that his teachers and family think he is, in effect, retarded because he can’t do this simple thing that most other kids can do. In fourth grade he will be labeled dyslexic. In fifth grade he will be declared to have ADHD and be in need of Ritalin. This story, in endless variations, has descended upon millions of Americans, on males more than females (so it is a component of the War on Boys).