Young Readers need Change

As I read the assigned articles for this week, I kept making mental notes of the teaching methods used in the articles versus the ones currently used in schools.  I was left with the question, "How can there be so much documentation about the benefits of learning to read and write through real-life experience, but most schools are still stuck on the phonics method of teaching?" It seems logical to me that children would learn to read and write better when they possess confidence in what they're doing.  In fact, most of us, as adults, find it easier to complete tasks when we are confident in our abilities.  Therefore, instead of using a reading system that is rigid, such as learning phonics and practicing only in the context of a workbook, teachers should consider using systems similar to that in "Letting go of the Letter of the Week."  Every child has a unique background, so they should be able to use their past experiences to aid them in their journey to read and write.  As they learn the associate certain sounds to parts of words they already know, they become "readers," without ever learning the sounds of specific letters.  By using their new-found skills to complete real-world tasks, the students gain confidence and not only learn to read and write, but also learn critical life skills, such as writing letters, reading labels, etc.  I hope that in the near future, more school systems will take an open-minded approach to the way students learn to read and write.  To me, it is obvious that the research is there to support a change in the way children are taught to read and write.  What do you think children need in order to become lovers of reading/writing?