Do schools still teach spelling, punctuation, and syntax?

Question

It seems that I see too many posts that are difficult, if not impossible to understand. I can understand the use of "internet shorthand", but what I see is as far from that as Ebonics is from being a legitimate language. I see this even in posts and questions from people that are in an office environment.

I say this as a 39 year old truck driver. I am a product of taxpayer funded child abuse(aka public schooling), so the accusation of private education is not applicable. Simply, when I was in school, I paid attention and did my best. Bear in mind, I'm a truck driver, so obviously I'm no genius.

Language skills are absolutely neccessary, and yet seem to be lacking. Is this just laziness, or a sign that even though we spend fortunes to educate our kids, the money is wasted?

My question is this: Who is responsible for the poor education our children recieve, and what can be done to solve it?

Answer 1

It's scary bad, isn't it. And then these children get mad because they aren't taken seriously or no one will answer their question. They need to wake up and see this as a peek at their futures if they don't figure it out, and shame on the parents for not reinforcing things at home. Obviously they don't even check their kids' homework.

Answer 2

I don't know what can be done except to go back to basics. I'm about your age and I remember the "education revolution" of the 60's when suddenly the three R's were old hat and it was more important to help the child develop a personality. As a direct result, in gradeschool we weren't taught syntax the old way: "You'll get that in highschool." In Highschool it was, "If you haven't learned that in gradeschool, we haven't got time for it now." And we wrote stories and poems and read short stories and simple novels. Fortunately I had learned to read at home at a young age...but I never did sort out the "new math" which was brought in at midterm when I was in 2nd grade (!) and then quietly removed by the time I was in 5th...and totally confused.
Who's responsible? I wish I knew. Everyone plays the blame game: parents on the schools, teachers on the parents, government on anyone they can think of, school administration on lack of funding...and on it goes.

Answer 3

i'm a sixteen 365 days previous pupil and that i understand what you propose. even nonetheless, it is like numerous new technology of folk, there is often tendencies that start to take place which the older technology don't understand or have a tendency to dislike. i'm somebody that likes to apply slang and 'textual content textile communicate' while chatting with acquaintances by textual content textile, yet while it includes something I continuously use ideal English. I certainly have finished compulsary training now, yet while i became into in college i became into in the precise English set, and so have been approximately 40 different individuals in my 365 days. i understand each a sort of precise pupils and that all of them use 'textual content textile communicate' while conversing online or on their telephone, yet in the perfect circumstances they're all able to producing suggestions-blowing grammar and English. i do no longer think of that's a case of folk no longer having the talents to jot down top (notwithstanding some frequently do no longer), it is greater of a stupid youthful technology habbit which instantaneous messaging centers have inflicted. I have not have been given any thought why human beings won't have the ability to apply ideal English on Yahoo solutions, yet i will in straightforward terms presume that they are in a hurry to get their question published and recieve an answer, so as that they use 'swifter' textual content textile. in certainty, i became into examining a question before which consisted of an finished paragraph which did no longer have one finished stop in it! now and back that's loopy!

Answer 4

Seventy or eighty years ago kids had to be able to read the newspaper at speaking speed and be able to explain the exact meaning by sixth grade.
This in a one room school house of twenty-four kids in eight grades all taught by one teacher.
Sanitation was a pair of Chick Sales out back. Drinking water was a large crock. The place was heated by a wood burning pot belly stove.
It was rough. It was uncomfortable, but we learned. Now there are high school graduates who can't read, write, or speak beyond 1930 fourth grade.

Answer 5

No, schools just teach students how to take standardized tests.

Answer 6

NEA, parents, liberal teachers.