Rebecca, You mention the advent of nationwide grammar/language arts standards. Are you referring to the 3S project? If not, to what? Thanks in advance-- Connie Weaver "Rebecca S. Wheeler" wrote: > Dear ATEG, > I regret very much Ed's resignation as webmaster of the ATEG website, as > Ed is and has long long been a core member of this organization. Indeed, > he is the founder of Syntax in the Schools, a publication which he > initiated, maintained and ran for a decade and a half (that is 15 > YEARS!!!!!). The dedication, perseverance and vision that Ed has > consistently offered ATEG and SIS is astonishing. And Ed has been there > with that energy and vision all along. > > I write in response to Ed's comments about changes in the direction of > ATEG, and specifically, about changes in the nature of Syntax in the > Schools, our ATEG publication. For many years, Ed has run SIS as a > newsletter. The editorial policy was that all articles were accepted and > printed as is, without editing. This provided an important vehicle for > communicating insights and approaches to grammar in the schools. At the > same time, active ATEG membership and SIS subscriptions have remained > relatively constant, hovering around the 125 person level or so, I > believe. > > The times are a changing. With the advent of nationwide grammar/language > arts standards, issues pertinent to Syntax in the Schools are coming > increasingly to the fore. It has seemed to a number of us that ATEG > could provide a much broader national and international resource > regarding the teaching of grammar. To that end, as new Editor, of SIS, I > have advertised our publication on all the NCTE listserves, in the > English Journal, and on LINGUIST net. I am seeking to promote both a > broader readership and writership for SIS. > > There is a lot of work out there happening in the arena of Grammar in > the Schools. For example, the Linguistics Association of Great Britain > (LAGB) has just announced an upcoming conference on GRAMMAR TEACHING AND > THE DEVELOPMENT OF WRITING SKILLS University of Durham, UK. I've > contacted them, inquiring whether they would consider submitting their > work to SIS. Similarly, in the recent issues of SIS, we've seen work > from a Charter School in Arizona looking at how grammar fits into the > implementation of language arts standards, work from a 7th grade grammar > curriculum, further notes from the British front, etc. > > Far from being any sort of Profscam (tho I have not read the treatise Ed > mentions), Syntax in the Schools seeks to publish thoughtful work > regarding grammar in the schools. We have moved into a refereed status > so to assure the caliber of commentary and contribution. > > The membership at ATEG voted unanimously to change the classification > of SIS from newsletter to journal in recognition of the nature of the > articles submitted. Numerous people pointed out that the material that > we publish is more of the sort found in journals than the sort found in > newsletters, the latter being a place for announcements of events and > such, and the former being a place for more thoughtful discussion of > issues and practices in the field. > > Ed is certainly right that we are currently small -- 16 pages at this > point. But we are in a growth cycle. Our intention is to develop a > broader forum for publication of materials relevant to grammar pedagogy > K - 16. Our emphasis, continuing Ed's guiding light, will be that of > practical articles of direct import to the school classroom. We are not > a theory journal. We are a publication seeking practical, thoughtful > examination of practices and purposes in the teaching of grammar in the > schools. > > To that end, let us grow that we may bring this significant discussion > to a wider audience, with wider effect on language in the school > classroom. > > Sincerely, > > Rebecca Wheeler > > > > > ******************************************* > Rebecca S. Wheeler, Ph.D. > Assistant Professor > Department of English > Christopher Newport University > 1 University Place > Newport News, VA 23606-2998 > > Editor, Syntax in the Schools > The Journal of the Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar (ATEG), > an > assembly of the NCTE > http://www2.pct.edu/courses/evavra/ATEG/SiS.htm > > phone: (757) 594-8891; fax: (757) 594-8870 > email: [log in to unmask] > > *******************************************