Literacy debate

I recently watched an episode of "Paddy Gower has Issues" (a new series on TV3) and Laura Tupou was looking at the current debate amongst the New Zealand teaching professsion about Balanced Literacy versus Structured Literacy. She interviewed primary schools who are using the new Structured literacy programs to teach young children how to read such as introducing the Better Start Literacy Approach developed in New Zealand through the University of Canterbury or Little Learners Love Literacy from Australia and spoke to the students about what they like best about the program? She also spoke with teachers and principals about this new initiative (BSLA) which is supported by the Ministry of Education. Then she interviewed Rebecca Jesson from the University of Auckland who teaches Reading recovery to students who need it and also trains teachers in this pedagogy. She advocates that teachers should continue to use both methods of teaching, so a combination of teaching phonics and reading recovery to enhance a child's ability to learn to read. She highlights the need for both teaching methods to be taught implicitly so that "children learn to read by reading AND by being taught explicitly" (R.Jesson, 2023). As found in her blogpost - https://www.learningcircle.co.nz/blog/reading-recovery-refresh-unpacking-and-and-approach? We all know the importance of Oral language and how much children need to engage in their interest in books and love of literacy. It is our job as teachers to provide the framework, scaffolding, resources and support for the children in our classrooms to foster positive literacy experiences, especially in the early years of their schooling. Support from whanau is also part of the process in order for Maori and Pasifika (ESOL) students to progress in reading. The research shows that these two groups are not achieving where they should be in literacy. Is there a Nature vs Nurture arguement at play as to why some children learn to read with ease and others struggle? I am passionate about teaching the children in my care to have the confidence to overcome potential obstacles they may face in reading. Be it a language deficit, poor attendance, not having enough conversations in their home environment? These children need as much support as we can give them when they come to school to learn to read...