...at least you died trying! ;-)

CM

"Marc" wrote in message
...
| I didn't say that was the only word I missed. It was the 4th incorrect
| out of 10, giving me an F. What is even worse, I brought the detergent
| box to school as proof that I was correct. Learned how to spell a new
| word that day, HUMILIATION
|
|
| On Thu, 28 Aug 2003 18:06:05 -0300, "Capt. Mooron"
| wrote:
|
| What kind of test is it that you only have to miss one word to fail??
|
| CM
|
| "Marc" wrote in message
| .. .
| | Case in Point. I failed a sixth grade spelling test because I
| | misspelled "does". My mother, at the time, used a laundry detergent
| | brand named DUZ.
| |
| |
| | On Thu, 28 Aug 2003 14:16:34 -0400, "Scout"
| | wrote:
| |
| | Frank,
| | Even with all the outrageous expectations placed on schools, they
still
| find
| | time to do some serious and legitimate research. Take it or leave it,
| here
| | is some insight that the English teacher may have left out.
| | There is overwhelming evidence (formal educational research) which
| strongly
| | suggests that teaching the conventions of English (spelling, grammar,
| etc.)
| | does not work, simply because it is taken out of context. Translation,
| | students (people) learn the rules of a language much more effectively
by
| | exposure to others who use it correctly (i.e., via reading).
| | Memorizing rules does not make significantly better writers. Reading
well
| | written literature does. Reading well written anything increases
language
| | skills. Well written work is focused, organized, has style, displays
| | content, and obeys all the rules of the language. These things are
nearly
| | impossible to teach with memorization techniques. Reading teaches
| language
| | skills by example, the same way most of us learned to speak in the
first
| | place. At 3 years old, most of us could form sentences without the
| benefit
| | of grammar lessons. Why? Because we were imitating what we took in. We
| hear
| | before we can speak. We read before we can write (effectively).
| | The catch, as I see it, is that many people don't like to read, for a
| | variety of reasons. It's no wonder then, that they don't write well
| either.
| | Kids need to be read to from an early age, to have pleasant memories
| | associated with reading, and to be encouraged and rewarded (initially
at
| | least) for focusing long enough to read an assignment. Good parenting
| here
| | is critical and irreplaceable. Like so many other things, if you can
get
| | them started early, they will enjoy much greater success later.
| | One bit of evidence seems irrefutable: those who won't or can't read,
| can't
| | write very well either.
| | The billboards you mention make a good point. The people who create
them,
| | I'm sure, know the rules of language well. Their casual (mis)usage
| promotes
| | and instructs others, albeit informally, to follow suit. They're
selling
| a
| | product other than language, and have no direct stake in the
educational
| | outcome of their work. People see them, read them, and proceed to
write
| | using similar syntax. One way or another, we're all learning
something.
| |
|
|