This study explored the perceptions of whole language instruction held by a group of teachers of young children. Four questions framed the study: (1) How do teachers of young children define a whole language program? (2) What kind of whole language activities have the teachers tried in their classroom, and how did teachers feel about the outcomes of the activities they used? (3) What concerns did the teachers have about whole language instruction? and (4) What kind of assistance did the teachers believe would be helpful to them as they began to make changes in their literacy program? A survey was designed to assess a general level of knowledge and concerns about whole language programs among kindergarten-second grade teachers teaching in a rural or a suburban midwestern school district. Twenty-eight surveys were returned. One finding suggests that most teachers from this small sample accept whole language instruction as being an effective means of instruction, but as a supplement to a skills-based approach. It seems imperative that whole language advocates address teachers' beliefs concerning how children become literate. Without doing so, whole language activities may be viewed as additional instructional experiences which are "fun" but not a means for developing capable literate children. (One table of data is included; an appendix contains the survey.) (SR)