hooked on phonemes

In the first three chapters of her book, Barbara Fox lays out the important role that letter-sounds play in the future reading ability of children.  She argues for the systematic teaching of phonics and phonemes beginning in Kindergarten.  She explains how phonemic awareness is tied to faster reading progress, larger reading vocabulary, and better spelling. 
I am trying to reflect on my own educational experience and I cannot remember the grade I was in, but I do remember learning the sounds that letters make.  I think I was in 1st grade and we had these alphabet workbooks.  I remember that we did not go through the books in alphabetical order, which seems strange  to me at the time because one of the things you are tested on is being able to say the alphabet correctly in order without looking.  I learned from my reading that certain letters are "easier" to learn because their sound is similar to their name (letters like B, P, and T).
Ms. Fox did mention twice that after 1st grade the letter-sounds are not usually taught.  So children who fail to learn them by the time they enter second grade are at a disadvantage.  I am not familiar with the academic standards for second or first grades, but it seems that phonemic awareness should be at the top of the list.  The importance that phonemic awareness plays with regard to reading, spelling, and vocabulary would suggest to me that schools should make it their number one priority to catch those kids who enter 2nd grade without good phonemic awareness.

I am looking forward to tomorrow's lesson and testing our little kindergarten buddies to see where they fall in the stages of word learning.  Based on some of the things people shared in class last time, I think I have a better understanding of what children in the early stages produce.  It is also exciting to be apart of laying the groundwork for language, reading, vocabulary, writing, etc.  It is an awesome responsibility.