Gretchen,

I don't mean to exclude the need for middle school students to learn
grammar as well. Measures are needed to address their needs, too. For
the moment, we have to acknowledge that there is a gap in grammar
knowledge at all levels, and all levels essentially have to begin at the
beginning. Right now we have kids in HS who have no grammar from middle
school. These are the kids I had in mind. I'm thinking triage: which
population do you go after first? Where is the least "catch-up time"
between school and the realities of post-HS graduation? The answer to
that is high school. So, if we have limited resources and time, it would
be strategic to start there. Then a program is in place for
middle-schoolers who don't get grammar there. If we start with middle
school, then the current cohorts in high school are left out in the cold.

Ideally, we would work with both middle and high school. But different
districts have different situations.

As for high-school teachers who are pointing fingers at teachers of
previous grades, they just have to wake up to the reality of the
situation. Both the curriculum and teacher education are faulty. If the
HS teachers have to teach basic grammar, TOUGH TOENAILS!!! So do I! And
I'm not pointing fingers at high-school teachers. I know the lay of the
land. Reality bites. But there it is.

***************************************************
Johanna Rubba, Associate Professor, Linguistics
English Department, Cal Poly State University
San Luis Obispo, CA 93407
Tel. 805-756-2184 ~ Dept. phone 805-756-2596
Dept. fax: 805-756-6374 ~  E-mail: [log in to unmask]
URL: http://www.cla.calpoly.edu/~jrubba
***************************************************

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