scooterbob

To the best of my knowledge, and by a review of my posts, I don't believe any reasonable person could conclude that I have made any personal attacks against TBF or, for that matter, anyone else. That is not my purpose. Those on this forum who know me know that is not how I operate. Apparently I have hit a raw nerve with TBF. The thread deals with a newand good policy by the management to require posts that are at least readable and show at least marginal skills of communication. My purpose is to support the policy and, because I do have a good bit of knowledge as to how our public education system works (sometimes by compromising what has always been considered important for the sake of "good" test scores on awards tests), to offer my opinion as to why BGP needs such a policy. Now, for some reason, my good friend, TBF, takes it all personally. He seeks to turn it into private vs. public; arrogant vs. "humble"; have vs. have not as much; etc. I don't mind the personal attacks because they go with the territory. However, I have always heard that those who have no facts always rely on anger and personal attacks. TBF, continue to take your best shots. However, don't distort what I say. As an example, I am sure much of your anger stems from me mentioning that Rose Hill still teaches English grammar. That is just fact. I didn't say that it made RH a better academic institution than Raceland. I merely pointed out a fact. Now, to be honest, in the area of proper communication, the fact that RH still emphasizes English grammar is an indication to those in academia and in employee recruitment that it is doing a better job of preparing students for the future- at least in this one area. This is not a criticism of public school teachers. It is a criticism of where public education places its priorities- at least in the truly vital area of proper communication. Finally, I stand by everything I have posted earlier. It is always reassuring to stand by the facts. So now you can again get upset and take your shots. You are truly passionate in your posts. Unfortunately, you continue to debate with all emotion and no facts. Emotion quickly fades but facts remain.

I would have responded sooner but I was not aware that TBF was upset by my post. By the way, I stand by my previous analysis of the teaching (actually the lack thereof) of English grammar in the public schools (TBF, you may want to note that "English" is capitalized). My purpose should have been clear to anyone not looking to start a dispute. I am confident that I know many more public school teachers than does TBF. I support them without reservation and I also know what they face each day from "the system". In fact, I am a former public school teacher. My "shot" was at KERA and not at all at them. Nevertheless, facts are facts. I must point out that English teachers graduating from Kentucky colleges in recent years are not taught grammar nor how to teach it. In fact, proper use of the English language and the art of writing and speaking correctly have been discarded by our venues of "higher education". Since our public schools, because of KERA, are handcuffed by all of this portfolio emphasis (just write, write, write and don't worry that you don't know a noun from a verb- let alone a gerand), the writing achievement of most students is lots of quantity but absolutely no quality. The fact that TBF, now a superior, says he has never been called upon to diagram a sentence while on the job indicates his lack of knowledge of communication. In fact, TBF, if you communicate in a correct and effective manner in your position as "superior" you do indeed (or at least should) mentally diagram each sentence as you write it or as you speak it. This discipline in proper use of the language should be an imperative for all who wish to gain real success and respect from other properly educated individuals. Your argument reminds me of the people who say they don't know why they had to take algebra because they never use it in life. In truth, most of us use algebra in some manner each day (ex: "if 4 cans of beans cost a dollar, how much does each can cost" is really "4x =$1.00 therefore X=25 cents"). We have pretty well "dumbed down" all of our disciplines- educational and societal- and we are reaping a meager harvest. Do I blame public school teachers? No. For the most part I blame the present system of education. On the other hand, I know that teaching English grammar requires much more effort than teaching literature (just read the next chapter and answer the questions on page 33) and portfolio writing (see above). But we should also remember that English grammar is not covered on the reward tests so we better keep in mind the goals of our administrators- both in individual schools and down at the central office. No, TBF, my friend, I will not retract anything that I said before because those in education, those in communication, and those in the professions (not professional football or basketball but the true professions) know that I am correct.

I join many others in saluting "The Management" for this new policy. My good friend, GolfRev, is correct that English is "taught" in each school in the Commonwealth. However, the English curriculum in the public schools of today (Rose Hill, I am pleased to say, is an exception) is not the English curriculum that existed when GolfRev attended school. The overwhelming majority of public schools pay only "lip service" at best to the all important areas of grammar and spelling. Most of our younger English teachers know nothing about sentence structure, parts of speech, diagramming of sentences, and the other all important components of proper written (and spoken) communication. Thus, it is no wonder that our students are embarrassingly incompetent in these areas. However, I believe you will find that this apathy doesn't extend to the workplace. As an employer and as member of an occupation that requires proper communication, both written and spoken, I refuse to hire anyone who lacks a strong background in grammar and spelling. Most of my colleagues follow the same policy. If you think I am taking a shot at public schools, you better check it out for yourself. You will find that I am correct. Consequently, this new policy will actually function as a public service to those in need of the basics of communication. Again, I thank "The Management" for this vital contribution to education.