It is not a reactionary agenda. The abolition of grammar teaching is pure political correctness at work. Instead of teaching substantive material the English teacher gets to assign multicultural and alternative sexuality propaganda trash and condemn students who do not parrot the approved nonsense. At my high school students are condemned to repeated readings of "To Kill a Mocking Bird", the "Diary of Ann Frank" and Ebonic dialect novels along with pro-homosexuality tracts. Lot's more fun for English teachers with low I.Q.'s and axes to grind than teaching grammar, logical thinking, and classical literature.
One of my division room students has seen theactrical versions of the Diary of Ann Frank
five times on school sponsored trips since first grade. A balanced introduction to Western civilization, ¿no? In the larger view, the abolition of grammar instruction guarantees that the economically deprived will get inferior educations so that they can replicate the under and lower classes and not threaten the upper class kids who get more genuine educations in private schools. Who really wants a larger population of critcal thinkers who might question the policies of their masters?
The favorite TV show in one of our faculty lounges is a game show in which people compete to show that they are most like the average TV viewer. How dumb do you have to be to want to prove that you are in no way exceptional? Watching some fellow teachers compete against the TV screen is a real "treat" for me.
Cheers,
R.Reis
----- Original Message -----
From: Haussamen, Brock
Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2000 2:20 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Great site, run by a brilliant Black lady
I agree that grammar--formal grammar as a component of education--is
political, because the standardizing of language is an aspect of social
power. But I'm bad at politics. A popular perception of the last two
decades is that traditional grammar has been elitist, contrary to cultural
diversity, etc., and I can understand that complex perception/misperception.
But what would be the reactionary political agenda behind the abolition of
grammar?
Brock Haussamen
-----Original Message-----
From: Robert Reis
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: 11/27/00 8:04 PM
Subject: Re: Great site, run by a brilliant Black lady
The abolition of the teaching of English grammar is a political program.
As a linguist, certified teacher of three foreign languages, it is
inconceivable to me that the simple fact that the longer my immigrant
students have been in the American public school system the less likely
it is that they have any idea how grammars work is an accident. This
decision not to teach grammar can only have political motives. Stay
pure, stay useless.
Bye,
Bob
----- Original Message -----
From: Paul E. Doniger
Sent: Monday, November 27, 2000 6:52 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Great site, run by a brilliant Black lady
This makes two in one day! PLEASE: DO NOT USE THIS LIST AS A FORUM FOR
PROMOTING A POLITICAL AGENDA! This is a scholarly group, dedicated to
the improvement of English Grammar education. If you're not interested
in this, you should leave this list and seek recruits elsewhere.
Not quite as respectfully yours as last time,
Paul E. Doniger
----- Original Message -----
From: Robert Reis <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Sunday, November 26, 2000 8:45 PM
Subject: Great site, run by a brilliant Black lady
http://www.issues-views.com/Focus.htm
<http://www.issues-views.com/Focus.htm>
_____
Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download :
http://explorer.msn.com <http://explorer.msn.com/>
_____
Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download :
http://explorer.msn.com <http://explorer.msn.com>
To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at:
http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html
and select "Join or leave the list"
Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/<br clear=all><hr>Get more from the Web. FREE MSN Explorer download : <a href="http://explorer.msn.com">http://explorer.msn.com</a><br></p>