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I agree with you the teachers' job is to teach their students properly; and when they see the students doing wrong in reading, writing or speaking, they need to correct them. But nowadays, many people, old and young, parents and children are very "sensitive"; they feel offended when someone to correct them. Thus, it's very hard for the teachers to do their job.
By the way, the their above should be they're.
And your two examples:
1. Your son speaks good. (well) is right because "well" (is an adverb) to describe the verb "speak" -
2. That water tastes horrible. (horribly), I believe horrible is right, not horribly, because horrible (is an adjective) in this sentence serves to describe the water (a noun) or the taste of the water (a noun also) - horrible water or horrible taste of the water.
In example #1, the son (a person) speaks (English, Spanish, French... ) well.
In example #2, that water (thing or liquid) tastes (what?). Therefore, it should be an adjective to describe the noun (water or the taste).
I made a typo with "their", my mistake.
I guess for #2, I'm overcorrecting and not thinking.
My eldest daughter is in 6th grade and when she was in 5th, they had a "Getting ready for middle school night". All the classes had booths where they had examples of the students' work, and I noticed a paper for "Language Arts" and it just had a grade; I asked my daughter how are the students supposed to correct what they did incorrectly if there are no comments. She said, that it's common, and the kids are often told things like "figure it out yourself" if they ask questions. So, I bought some grammar books (3rd - 6th grade) and quickly went over the material with my eldest daughter over the summer and the end of her 5th-grade year.
My daughter is in the GT-program, so for her advanced English class, the teacher gave the kids a basic grammar test (my daughter said was easier than the 3rd-grade material that I went over with her), and my daughter said the class average was 45, and that was higher than the other classes of GT students. The score wasn't counted because the kids did so poorly.
By the way, these (my daughters' elementary and middle schools) are some of the "top" schools in the state (at least by scores and reputation). I am wondering, are these kids just supposed to learn grammar by going to their expensive SAT/ACT prep in college? There are quite a few academic enrichment programs in the area, and they (for the most part) do correct the students' work.
I guess for #2, I'm overcorrecting and not thinking.
My eldest daughter is in 6th grade and when she was in 5th, they had a "Getting ready for middle school night". All the classes had booths where they had examples of the students' work, and I noticed a paper for "Language Arts" and it just had a grade; I asked my daughter how are the students supposed to correct what they did incorrectly if there are no comments. She said, that it's common, and the kids are often told things like "figure it out yourself" if they ask questions. So, I bought some grammar books (3rd - 6th grade) and quickly went over the material with my eldest daughter over the summer and the end of her 5th-grade year.
My daughter is in the GT-program, so for her advanced English class, the teacher gave the kids a basic grammar test (my daughter said was easier than the 3rd-grade material that I went over with her), and my daughter said the class average was 45, and that was higher than the other classes of GT students. The score wasn't counted because the kids did so poorly.
By the way, these (my daughters' elementary and middle schools) are some of the "top" schools in the state (at least by scores and reputation). I am wondering, are these kids just supposed to learn grammar by going to their expensive SAT/ACT prep in college? There are quite a few academic enrichment programs in the area, and they (for the most part) do correct the students' work.
Here's the deal, grammar went away for at least a generation of prospective teachers. Remember what I said about holistic grading?
A century of research shows that traditional grammar lessons -- those hours spent diagramming sentences and memorizing parts of speech -- don’t help and may even hinder students’ efforts to become better writers. Yes, they need to learn grammar, but the old-fashioned way does not work.
I agree with this and it remains a debate I frequently get into with other educators. I had a teacher of another race accuse me of not understanding the needs of black students because I made them use standard English, it took everything I had not to use a little non-standard English on her as I explained my viewpoint of the subject as someone who raised her own black students and was a black student herself at one time. When someone speaks non-standard English they are automatically adjudged less intelligent than a person who speaks correctly and if both are applying for a job the one that speaks better will get it unless there is something just glaringly wrong with them.
Yes, it does. As much as I think teachers have an obligation to correct students in school they shouldn't correct anyone other than their own children outside of school. I can't stand people who stick on their superiority cloak and correct other adults for errors of no consequence, whether it is speech or messing up the retelling of an event slightly.
But not all teachers are viewed the same. Having once been a white teacher in a primarily minority district, students already see me as "other". Being able to switch back and forth between slang vs more correct grammar made me more relatable to many of my students. I think many people are unaware how many, if not most, children are able to code switch back and forth, and there is nothing wrong with that. There is a true skill in being able to speak to your audience, and teachers have to weight that skill, against the need to connect.
I guess for #2, I'm overcorrecting and not thinking.
Typos, by their very definition are mistakes in typing, you made a mistake in grammar. One we all make occasionally, or something similar.
As for using "horribly" instead of horrible, why is your mistake "overcorrecting and not thinking" and everyone else's similar mistakes "modifying their speech to use incorrect grammar"?
That is probably a good teaching tool but casually those who can not converse in the vernacular, or worse, those who are constantly judgemental of economic, racial and geographical minorities quickly become insufferable.
I do appreciate your views...Can you kindly transcribe this another way? Not sure I am getting the true context of your message here.
My son teaches 7th grade English. He will not disrespect the language that has inspired him to author books. His students are given little leniency in composition or pronunciation. He will guide them by using examples of their 'slang' to get a point across. Context.
Otherwise most of his colleagues regard his knowledge and usage as a living example.
I often dread conversations with him as he will correct a sentence. Most times I get a free mom pass since I helped raise him to respect to his elders.
So, he teaches composition, and the grammar concepts involved? His students are very lucky. I find it cryptic, ultimately sad, that his own colleagues don't speak correctly...? Why would he stand out in his English usage? Is speaking with correct grammar really that rare? Even among teachers?! If so, that's scary.
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