Report: Uh, it's like student writing is bad

CNN ^ | 25APR03 | AP

[Gefreiter]

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- Ask high school juniors to write a paragraph about a haunted house, and nearly half are unable to do so satisfactorily.

That's because writing has been neglected in school reform, according to a report by the National Commission on Writing in America's Schools and Colleges. So, students finish high school without the ability to write in a sophisticated, precise or engaging fashion, the commission says.

[Gefreiter]

The enclosed recommendations will never happen to anyone's satisfaction. The far left will see them as recommendations for "linguistic racism" and fight them tooth and nail. And raise another generation of ignoramouses with high self-esteem.

[RayBob]

"ignoramouses"

I have a court record from 1794 in which my great-great-great-great grandfather was adjudicated by the Court an ignoramus. He and several other young men were found to be under the undue influence of older men and therefor not responsible for their actions. Their crime? They were Whiskey Rebels! The court looked for ways to let most of these guys off...lack of witnesses, youthful folly, etc.

[poet]

What better way to destroy a country? Do it from within w/o firing a shot. Was it Gen. Malinovsky of the old soviet union who said, give me your educational system and I will make a new soviet man? Well, the General was right. Our children have been and are continuing to be dumbed down.

So much for the Fed's involvement in our educational process. It's no longer public education, it's gov't eduction.

[doc30]

Another reason writing skills will never be promoted relates to grading. A test of a student's writing ability cannot be formatted in a multiple choice format. Teachers would have to spend more time grading written paragraphs. Also, are new teachers today, who are a product of this educational system, capable of grading such tests?

[tdadams]

My nephew, a junior in high school, is among the poor writers. He uses no punctuation, doesn't capitalize proper names or at the beginning of sentences, and uses IM code in place of regular words.

I ask him why his writing is so bad and he doesn't even realize there's anything wrong with it. I ask him if his teachers ever do or say anything to correct his mistakes. He said none of his teachers have ever said a thing about it.

I really fear for his prospects as he gets into college and beyond.

[squarebarb]

One hardly knows where to start. A big problem is that kids are not required to read good writing so they can have a model. They are asked to read dumb stuff like The Color Purple and other politically-correct junk. Secondly, teachers are so overloaded that they are sending the kids home with tons of homework so their parents can oversee their work --- in effect, the kids are being about half homeschooled. And how do burnt-out teachers know good writing when they see it? Teachers spend all their time trying to get kids to shut up and concentrate so they send their work home. Just demanding that 'good writing' be taught is a pipe dream.

[Salvation]

**That's because writing has been neglected in school reform, according to a report by the National Commission on Writing in America's Schools and Colleges. So, students finish high school without the ability to write in a sophisticated, precise or engaging fashion, the commission says.**

From one who is out there substituting in the public schools --- T R U E !!!!!!!!

[mabelkitty]

And when teachers and professors have Communist-style "Jobs for Life", they stop doing it after a year or so and just phone it in.

[dfwgator]

This is vey series.

[Tai_Chung]

seniors are rarely assigned to write extended research papers anymore because teachers don't have the time

It's amazing how the trend toward smaller class sizes and ever-increasing education budgets have helped students.

[Salvation]

Start with the basics:
Spelling

Subject
Predicate
Direct Object

Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Conjunction
Others parts of speech

Sentence construction
Capitlization
Punctuation

Paragraph Formation - for a simple five paragraph (one hand-written page) essay
Introduction
Expand topic Paragraph 1
Expand topic Paragraph 2
Expand topic Paragraph 3
Conclusion

Move on to expansions of all the above topics.



OK, now, be honest! Did I lose any of you in that outline?

[kevao]

He uses no punctuation, doesn't capitalize proper names or at the beginning of sentences, and uses IM code in place of regular words.

Strunk & White would be sooooo proud.

[Consort]

Did any of them use a ghost writer on the haunted house essay?

[Hodar]

Oh, the kids can still write. Their style has just changed from this:

The old Johnson house had always been mysterious. It's old fence, overgrown yard, peeling paint and gabled roof always conveyed a sense of doom. And the sense of doom was well earned, for rumors persisted about the horrible screams heard so many years ago. And the story goes on, to this day. People who dare to take the shortcut in at midnight, through the back yard of the old Johnson house often tell you of the fear they felt, before the pain and the screams started. And they all bear the tell-tale bruise, the vertical stripe across the face. Of course, during the daytime; visitors remember to step over the rake in the path.

to this:

Yo buss dis. De old Johnson crib had always been mysterious. It's old fence, overgrown yard, peelin paint an' gabled rouh always moveed a sense uh doom. An' de sense uh doom wuz well earned, fuh rumors persisted 'boutthe horrible screams heard so many years ago. An' de story goes on, to dis day, an shit. folk who dare to take de shortcut in at midnight, trough de back yard uh de old Johnson crib often tell you uh de fear dey felt, befo de pain an' de screams started. An' dey all bear de tell-tale bruise, de vertical skripe across de face. uh course, durin de daytime; visitors remembuh to step ovuh de rake in de path. Sheeit!

[Paul Atreides]

Add to the fact that the education profession is so full of socialists who care nothing about teaching a child how to do anything except hate his own country, become a homosexual, or emulate Bubba and Monica in the Oral Office.

[WilDave]

Just the "Capitlization " part.

[Corin Stormhands]

Teachers would have to spend more time grading written paragraphs. Also, are new teachers today, who are a product of this educational system, capable of grading such tests?

Some teachers are. My wife is one of them. But she teaches advanced literature and writing in a home school academy. She spends about 10 hours in the classroom and probably about 50 hours a week in preparation or grading.

She, of course, is the exception. Not the norm.

But even in the Christian home school environment, she gets grief from students and parents that assignments are too hard, her grading is too strict, etc.

[chs68]

Im like I had someone read this article to me and Im like "I cant believe it!"

Im like its like there is just no way that like this could possibly be true. All of my best friends are like they know how to write real good...you know what Im saying?

So Im like I just dont know what all the fuss is all about you know what Im saying. Im like all my friends unnnerstand me and Im like understanding all my friends.

You know what Im saying?

[Alberta's Child]

A big problem is that kids are not required to read good writing . . .

Bingo.

A couple of the young engineers in my company have come to me expressing concern that their writing skills are abysmal (the fact that they recognize this is a good sign), and I've told them that the first step to developing good writing skills is to read extensively. One of them started working on the NY Times crossword puzzle every day, too.

[chs68]

Sorry. Your re-writing into new-English-speak flunks.

I do not see even one sentence that begins with "I'm like". Nor do I see -- even once -- the all-important communication feed-back clause, "You Know what I'm saying?".

Now go try it again, please.