teach'em how to read...

This morning I was at common grounds getting a cup of coffee while running some errands. I sat down to wait for my order when I overheard a father at the table behind me teaching his son how to read headlines, using the sac bee. Here's what happened:

Dad: Reading is very simple. Just say the words letter by letter like it sounds. This is called reading phonetically.

Son: ok..."taheee..." "tiheee..." (he was obviously struggling with a word that I figured was Tahiti...)

Dad: That's it...just sound it out.

Son: "tiheee..." Is that right?

Dad: (Looks at the page)... "No...the word is 'the'."

hehe i wonder how i'll teach my kids in the future...