By Darlene VannEDGEWATER, Fla. -- I was playing a game online the other day and looked over at the chat area to see what my progress was and saw this: “I grew up from Oregon and been lived in Idaho 21 years now.” It is such an affront to proper English that I looked at the person’s profile and found that the writer was a 46-year-old man.
Tell me again why the first things we cut in the budgets are school programs and teachers?
This is an example of how badly we need those teachers and we need them to teach -- not drill kids to take FCATs.
Children today do not learn the same things I (now 63) learned in school. I come from New England, and there they pounded English grammar and vocabulary into our heads, thank God.
I was fortunate to grow up there. Later, I took Latin in high school, which taught me the origins of most of our words.
Even today, I remember enough to help me determine a word’s meaning by comparing its parts to Latin words. I’ll admit I am a grammar snob, but justifiably so I feel.
How often have you seen a well-dressed, professional-appearing person being interviewed by a television reporter and hear such things as “Me and her went to that store blah, blah, blah,” or “I seen him go around the corner?"
Doesn’t your opinion of that person’s professionalism go right out the window? I tune them out immediately and wouldn’t hire them to work for me either.
When I was in school, we had music, sports, bands, art, etc., available at no extra cost. We had incentive to stay off the streets and go to band practice, play football, do cheerleading, be a member of all kinds of available clubs, act in plays and so forth. When we graduated, we had a well rounded education.
Kids today don’t know simple things we had to learn about such as the way the government works, why we fought what wars, where states or countries are on the map, to name just a few examples that I have come across.
When I was in school, we had music, sports, bands, art, etc., available at no extra cost. We had incentive to stay off the streets and go to band practice, play football, do cheerleading, be a member of all kinds of available clubs, act in plays and so forth. When we graduated, we had a well rounded education.
Kids today don’t know simple things we had to learn about such as the way the government works, why we fought what wars, where states or countries are on the map, to name just a few examples that I have come across.
Ever watch Jay Leno on the street asking the average citizen things like who lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. and the person doesn’t know? Then he asks who lives in a pineapple under the sea and the person immediately says “Sponge Bob Square Pants.” Isn’t that sad?
The children we see on “Are you smarter than a 5th grader” are exceptional. They have a broad knowledge base, and no doubt, have parents who care enough to make sure they want to and do learn.
Obviously, my earlier fellow didn’t have the desire or prodding to pay attention and learn. How sad for him and for the country as a whole.
We cannot afford to let education go down the drain.
Making parents already strapped for funds pay extra to have little Johnny play on the football team or little Susie be in Drama club is wrong.
Taking these things away from the students goes against them when they start looking at an education beyond high school. College applications ask for extracurricular activities for a reason.
The people chosen at most colleges have been active in many of the activities that are being cut so where does that leave our kids today? Working at Wal-Mart and unable to qualify for a college? How terribly sad.