[Reading-hall-of-fame] Huey

[Patrick Shannon]

Tom is my favorite regular contributor to the Fameline.  I have a Tom 
file for hard copies of many of his epistles to us.  I respond to his 
latest one out of respect for his contributions and with a little 
fear that I will be accused of blasphemy.

I understand Huey's contribution differently than Tom, and I see 
Huey's book as directly connected to the Hall members' interest in 
discussing reprofessionalization of the teaching of reading during 
the Toronto convention.  On page two, Huey wrote"

"After all we have thus far been content with trial and error, too 
often allowing publishers to be our jurors; a real rationalization of 
the process of inducing the child with the practice of reading has 
not been made."

I understand the reference to "trial and error" to be a derogatory 
comment directed at teachers.  I see the slight to publishers as well 
(I admit that I like that backlash).  But who are "we," and what is 
meant by the "real rationalization" of the process in Huey's 
statement?  Perhaps others would agree that the "we" refers to 
educational psychologists (an emerging group in Huey's day).  Is 
"rationalization" the use of scientific method (an emerging force 
during his time) to discover the laws of the processes of reading, 
learning, and teaching?  If so, then maybe we should rethink Huey in 
our times.

Huey's sentence is clear (at least to me) on who should have 
legitimate authority over reading instruction and what should make 
that authority legitimate.  Could Huey's hierarchy be the beginning 
of our present conditions in which we witness the discrediting of 
teachers, the reduction of reading, deskilling and reskilling in the 
name of rationalization?  Have we become implicated in this condition 
through our attempts to heed Huey's call without careful 
understandings of the politics that surround schooling and literacy? 
Do the paths to change lead through the disruption of that hierarchy 
and the subversion of that method?  Seems like a lot to talk about to 
me.