Is Otis Mathis a role model or an example of what's wrong with schools? Both? Neither? Discuss. (Detroit: credit)

[Timm]

Laura Berman's column in the Detroit News begins with this:

The president of the Detroit school board, Otis Mathis, is waging a legal battle to steer the academic future of 90,000 children, in the nation's lowest-achieving big city district.
He also acknowledges he has difficulty composing a coherent English sentence. Here's a sample from an e-mail he sent to friends and supporters on Sunday night, uncorrected for errors of spelling, grammar, punctuation and usage. It begins:
If you saw Sunday's Free Press that shown Robert Bobb the emergency financial manager for Detroit Public Schools, move Mark Twain to Boynton which have three times the number seats then students and was one of the reason's he gave for closing school to many empty seats.

From The Detroit News: DPS leader's bad writing: Wrong message? | detnews.com | The Detroit News

It goes on to raise questions about whether he should be considered a success story, as someone who has overcome his shortcomings, or held up as an example of the failings of school systems that graduate students who can barely read and write.


Just in case you can't be bothered to click, here's another example of the grammar stylings of the president of Detroit's school board:

Do DPS control the Foundation or outside group? If an outside group control the foundation, then what is DPS Board row with selection of is director? Our we mixing DPS and None DPS row's, and who is the watch dog?
From The Detroit News: DPS leader's bad writing: Wrong message? | detnews.com | The Detroit News

My first reaction was to be appalled that this man is the president of the school board. It just drips with so-laughable-it's-sad irony. But upon further reflection, I can see how he could be an inspiration to some. So yeah. I don't know.

What do you think? Not a big deal? Or horrifying? Somewhere in between?

[canudigit]

It looks like he writes like he speaks, or to put it in his words, "He write like he speak." I don't know exactly how to respond to this. I realize that someone who doesn't have a basic grasp of English grammar shouldn't really be the president of anything, but it seems like more and more that is getting to be the story in this country, sad to say. I know of a young man who attended a small town public high school and is completing his fifth year at a state university. His father told me recently that when he proofread his son's job resume that he is going to be submitting to potential employers in a month or two, he found no fewer than ten basic words spelled wrong, including "customer". After completing 12+ years of education at the primary and secondary level and almost five at the college level? This young man also used the word "stableness" in place of the correct word, "stability". Makes you scratch your head. And this is a kid who thinks that he should graduate and start making six figures. I can definitely see why the number of homeschooled kids in this country is now in the millions.

But to get back to your original question: what I think would be setting a real example for the kids of DPS is if this man would come forward and announce that he is going to take an English grammar refresher course because his grammar needs work and he understands how important it is to use correct grammar in today's world. I don't think it would make him look stupid, I think it would make him look honest and humble and would show lots of kids that they need to be more serious about how they present themselves to the world when they become job-seeking adults.

[Jackson Belle Grande]

Who cares what he is? He was elected by the people who gave you Kwame Kilpatrick....twice. What else needs to be said?

[It'sAutomatic]

The quality of his ideas and ability to get them pushed forward are more important than his writing skill. Though bad writing and bad content often go together...

[redford dude]

OMG, I just joined and this is my first post. I swear this has to be a come-on. The president of the school board is functionally illiterate? Ha Ha Ha! This would be incredibly funny late nite material for Dave and Jay if it wasn't true, which makes it incredibly tragic.

Actually, with text and e-mail a lot of abbreviated jumble gets sent out so it may just be a bad example and the guy might be pretty smart, I don't really know. God, I hope so.

[rdub1968]

Originally Posted by Timm

It goes on to raise questions about whether he should be considered a success story, as someone who has overcome his shortcomings, or held up as an example of the failings of school systems that graduate students who can barely read and write.

That my friends, is all of Detroit Public Schools in a nutshell.
These are the people responsible for teaching children to read, write, and play baksetball.

[ilovemycomputer90]

Originally Posted by rdub1968

That my friends, is all of Detroit Public Schools in a nutshell.
These are the people responsible for teaching children to read, write, and play baksetball.

You mean "basketball".

But all kidding aside, this is extremely sad. Do the teachers know how to read and write?

[rdub1968]

Originally Posted by ilovemycomputer90

You mean "basketball".

I was saying it like the Detroiters do LOL

[MICoastieMom]

Originally Posted by canudigit

His father told me recently that when he proofread his son's job resume that he is going to be submitting to potential employers in a month or two, he found no fewer than ten basic words spelled wrong, including "customer".

I can definitely see why the number of homeschooled kids in this country is now in the millions.

But to get back to your original question: what I think would be setting a real example for the kids of DPS is if this man would come forward and announce that he is going to take an English grammar refresher course because his grammar needs work and he understands how important it is to use correct grammar in today's world. I don't think it would make him look stupid, I think it would make him look honest and humble and would show lots of kids that they need to be more serious about how they present themselves to the world when they become job-seeking adults.

I burst out laughing when I read this. I graduated in the top quarter of my high school. But I had a similar experience in college the semester I took a History of Native Americans class and a History of Theater class. I had more damn trouble keeping the words 'custom' from the first class and 'costume' from the second straight in my notes. I am sure I often missed part of the lectures because I would go back and start correcting my own notes!

You can't always blame the teacher. Having worked with at-risk children in their mainstreamed classes, I have had the opportunity to observe other teachers, and yes, it is true that they sometimes make mistakes in teaching grammer (more so younger teachers, which makes me wonder what is being taught at college level), but I have also found errors in the textbooks. And if trained professionals are capable of making such mistakes, I think the likelihood of home-schooled children not learning correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation rules is ten-fold.

I agree with your last paragraph wholeheartedly. Talk about a teachable moment! I do hope it isn't lost. In defense of Mr. Mathis, you have to remember there was a whole generation where "Black English' was taught as an acceptable substitute for the Queen's English, as it were. I understand that is still being taught, but it counts now as a foreign language credit, much as sign language is.

Sometimes I think we are too critical of each other and our abilities to text, keyboard and the like. I just discovered another post I wrote earlier today where I spelled desert with an extra 's'. I know the correct spelling; unfortunately my fingers are not as nimble as they used to be, and sometimes my eyes don't work too good either when I proofread. Should I not be permited the use of the internet due to my faux pas, or subject to ridicule?