Reply #31: I'm gonna have to respectfully disagree. [View All]

[DeSwiss]

According to the article, the whole point of them writing the letters to the newspaper was to give them an opportunity in "their own voices," to weigh-in with their opinions on the issue of whether or not the school district should require remedial classes for high school students not proficient in math or reading. And I think that the grammar use (or lack thereof), in those letters from middle-school students clearly supports the argument that maybe they should.

I don't agree that they were necessarily being held up to public ridicule either, since none of the letters they wrote was signed beyond the use of their initials. Certainly the students in the class probably know who wrote what. But we can't protect our children from everything distasteful in life. And fortunately or unfortunately (since ones views tend to change over time), it is often the "negative" experiences that happen within ones life that have a more lasting and beneficial impact, when positive feedback, experiences and reinforcements don't.

The ability to express one's self clearly and within the forms of society is a large part of the reason for having an education. But the teacher proofreading and correcting those letters prior to their being sent to the newspaper would not have shown that these students indeed lack the ability to use proper grammar to the very people charged with providing the learning environment and courses designed to prepare them for the real world.

Proofreading and correcting those letters as an in-class assignment, okay fine. Then it becomes another teaching experience. But at some point one must stand or fall on what they've learned in life (and in class), because there won't always be a teacher around to "help you" with your work. IMHO

- DeSwiss