I think it’s practically impossible to write well if you don’t read. A lot. The weird social media and texting method of writing is about all these kids see.
They never will write well.
Hear! Hear!
MayflowerMadam nails it! No pun intended...
And they need to be read to at an early age so they develop the ability to “picture” what they read. Now that process is done for them by electronics.
“I think it’s practically impossible to write well if you don’t read. A lot.”
100%. And phonics is faster, better, cheaper than anything else. No kid should be promoted beyond the 3rd grade until they are reading well enough.
Spelling and grammer are nowhere near as important as reading. They evolve naturally from it anyway.
And teachers should be tested regularly for reading, writing, and basic arithmetic. Like every 2 years.
Akisha can’t read, write, subtract, or talk.
That is one of the reasons I try and read a lot of British works.
Imagine that Dickens was widely read and appreciated by huge numbers of readers. Today Cliff’s Notes of “Bleak House” would be above the American reader.
It is a tragedy that no one reads anymore, except for a few dinosaurs like me.