2006-08-02 13:53:24 · 6 answers · asked by Austin W 3 in Education & Reference ➔ Teaching
According to the American Heritage Concise Dictionary, "illiterate" can mean "unfamiliar with language and literature." There are thousands of examples of it on this site. In fact, the quality of writing on this site is an embarassment to American society and to the educational system.
2006-08-02 15:39:22 · update #1
That's like saying why bother being a cop if there will always be crime.
2006-08-03 14:31:07 · answer #1 · answered by orangemen2000 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Look where and why illiteracy occurs ( in addition to how many were poled because the homeless are not usually counted, not to mention if the survey took place in a transient area/ meaning kids are moved from one school to another more than 1-3 times) to get an accurate picture.
Also look to the No Child Left Behind Act that is beginning to hold the education system accountable.
As to why teach? Well if there were no teachers then there would be no doctors, lawyers, scientists, and every other profession that society relies on. If someone did not take the time to teach Albert Einstein where would we be now? If someone did not teach Abe Lincoln he may have not become president and so on and so on...
2006-08-02 18:26:03 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think most teachers believe they can help all kids learn to read, write, etc. If you ask most teachers, some part of their philosophy will reflect this. All students can learn.... Some people have a difficult time reading, and others just don't care to learn or try to learn. I don't think the illiteracy rate in the US is that bad...unless you consider a 99% literacy rate to be terrible (according to CIA worldfact book). The lowest I saw was 97%. There are bad students, just like there are bad teachers. If you are comparing the US to other countries, academically, take a look at all the factors. For instance, in the US, we test ALL students, including those in special education. In some countries, those students aren't tested, and in a few countries, only the best and brightest are tested. Keep in mind, whenever you see something on the news or read something, the information almost always reflects the opinion of the person writing it. In addition, we can make numbers say and do almost anything we want them to.
2006-08-02 15:22:37 · answer #3 · answered by spedteach 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
don't know where you get your facts , but illiteracy is not as rampant as you make it out to be. For example- If there were so many illiterate people why are the colleges so over crowded and the grade point averages are well above 3.5 to get into most colleges? The illiteracy you talk about is pro bally among those who just immigrated here or live in areas that tend to be undereducated- which is not the norm in the U.S.
2006-08-02 14:16:49 · answer #4 · answered by weswe 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
To try to improve it maybe? unless you really want more GWB's in the white house... oh sorry, illiteracy not stupidity... well you can be stupid and not illiterate or illiterate and not stupid, how does he manage to be both?
2006-08-02 15:15:04 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
To maintain and or improve the literacy rates that exist. It is not the fault of the students that they have bad teachers.
2006-08-02 13:59:25 · answer #6 · answered by StatIdiot 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋