This paper examines the most damaging myths and misconceptions about reading instruction. The paper begins with what it considers the "most pernicious myth currently influencing reading instruction"--Learning to read is a natural process. Following this "Myth #1" are these myths: (2) Children will eventually learn to read if given enough time; (3) Reading programs are "successful"; (4) We used to do a better job of teaching children to read; (5) Skilled reading involves using syntactic and semantic cues to "guess" words, and good readers make many "mistakes" as they read authentic text; (6) Research can be used to support whatever your beliefs are--lots of programs are "research based"; (7) Phoneme awareness is a consequence (not a cause) of reading acquisition; (8) Some people are just genetically "dyslexic"; (9) Short-term tutoring for struggling readers can get them caught up with their peers, and the gains will be sustained; and (10) If it is in the curriculum, then the children will learn it, and a balanced reading curriculum is ideal. What impacts student performance is a recurring theme throughout this paper--the quality, strength, knowledge, and sophistication of the teacher is what really matters for helping children to become proficient readers. Lists 7 selections for further reading. (NKA)