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From: Mike Hollingsworth <>
Subject: Re: [NYMADISO] Re: (NYMADISO) 1895 8th Grade Final Exam
Date: Sat, 13 May 2000 13:35:02 -0400


Tim - I know it doesn't fit with the scheme of things but this topic
would really provide an active mail list!

George - I understand your position although I don't necessarily agree
with everything you said. Having three grown children and eight
grandchildren (seven who are currently in the school systems now, the
oldest in 11th grade) I can at least speak from experience. My opinion
is that schooling today is sorely lacking in a number of areas.
I used to receive letters from my son - a graduate - and reading one
was almost like working a cryptogram. At least every third word was
spelled wrong (amongst other things.) My mother (now 76) couldn't
believe what she saw when she received a letter from him. Now she
marvels at the 'improvements' he's made... of course, he's purchased a
computer and uses a 'speel chekker' before he prints a letter out.
My oldest grandson has ambitions of being a graphics/game programmer.
Hopefully he can write code better than he can compose a sentence. I've
no doubt that he'll graduate next year but has he really been educated
or merely shoved through the system?

Where to place the fault? The school system? Government intervention?
The parents?
Personally, I feel it rests with the parents for letting things get to
this point. It seems that school now is nothing more than a place to
send the kids for a period of time. It's the responsibility of the
school to provide *everything*, to literally act as a parent. Oh...
should little Johnny or Betty have a problem, the school is also an
entity to SUE for it.

Too much emphasis has been taken away from teaching the basics. An
educator today is 'spread too thin' - in addition to teaching their
subject(s) they have to be a surrogate parent, nurse, psychologist,
lawyer (perish the thought that little Johnny's privacy or rights are
violated because he has to (shudder!) apply himself and actually learn
something), wet-nurse and... the list goes on.

I've a newspaper here (from central NY in the early 1960s) - on the
front page is an article advising schools and teachers not to be overly
critical when grading papers, written essays, etc. ???? Overly
critical? Content?Speeling? Heck, if it's wrong it is wrong. Live with
it, resolve it. Don't gloss over it!

I ramble and I apologize to all! I do have to wonder... if our current
system is so wonderful why do we continually place so low in academics
when compared with other countries?

Mike

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