"One of my favourite subjects to teach is Phonics."
It is really refreshing to see teachers returning to the old, "tried and true" methods! I'm not an educator myself, but I was schooled under the old system when phonics was the only method being taught. I remember my father constantly telling me to "sound out the word". Since the introduction of this new whole language method, we have really seen a decline in general linguistic skills in society. It is quite sad, seeing young people these days try to wield a vocabulary that they just honestly do not understand; using words in completely the wrong context; and giving the same, lame excuse that "as long as you understand what I mean, it doesn't matter". If they don't mind looking uneducated, then, sure, it doesn't matter.