ABSTRACT
Can anyone's imagination conjure up a phonics classroom without the famous silent e? That magical little grapheme sits alone at word's end, curled up like a cat, sometimes nestled behind a taller consonant. Facing east, it points its wand westward at an otherwise unsuspecting vowel, transforming it from short and stubby to long and proud. It utters not a whisper in the process. Truly, it is the strong, silent hero, an awesome icon of classroom culture that, like a character in an animated cartoon, survives every bomb, dagger, poison, and insult. Who dares call into question its gloriousness?
