TEACHING READING, WRITING, AND LITERATURE AT HOME If you want to play with the academic career of your child, here’s a sure way: let your school teach English by itself. Leave it to, in his teachers ‘ hands. He might learn how to read and write well. More probably, he won’t. This warning is not an indictment of the school of your child. It may be okay. However, be aware that even great teachers have a hard time teaching these crucial skills on their own. This is one area where all teachers need time and assistance. If you want your child in school to do well, you must help him learn how to read and write. That doesn’t mean that you have to take the lead in teaching language arts. That’s the job of the teachers. What you must do at home is to strengthen your efforts. You have to keep track of the classroom lessons and work with your child on them. For example, if he learns the letters of the alphabet in school, you must teach them at home, perhaps by pausing occasionally to ask about the different letters you read aloud, or perhaps by creating flashcards. If...