Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Why should we have to defend teachers?


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Posted by Doug on September 08, 2002 at 00:33:52:

In Reply to: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Why should we have to defend teachers? posted by Rick Denney on September 07, 2002 at 23:59:47:

I feel like I'm coming from the same direction you are, but with a few differences.

We learned "palpable" in school. "Visceral" just sounds cool, so when I first heard it (well, read it) I instantly made it part of my vocabulary. "Pussilanimous?!?" New word, for me, although now that I know its meaning (looked it up), I can definitely find some uses for it, if I'm not too pussilanimous to do it. ;-)

My high school, for all its shortcomings, did manage to at least SAY in every English class "Expand your vocabulary." Only about four of us took the initiative to do it. Everyone else responded "nahhh, that's geeky!!!"

So yes, I agree the problem lies in the values kids start out with. The dominant attitude is "I dare you to try to teach me." And then society panders to that attitude and lowers standards accordingly.

"The moon shone clear." It's odd. I can actually TASTE this image. More than I see or feel it.

The other one? Reminds me of a story i wrote in fifth grade. Bland, boring, cliched, written to fit the mold of "color words are GOOD." Supposedly this should make writing more expressive, but to use a bit of non-standard wording, that sentence really sucks.

We had good lit in high school. Jane Eyre is an awesome work. Candide by Voltaire is very good. Dickens, Hemingway, Twain, Shakespeare, Bierce, etc. I enjoyed the books immensely. No one else did. Why? After middle school, reading was "bad." "Reading is boring," they say. "Is there a movie version?" "X-men would be cool to read." You hear it all. The trick is to start young. High school is too late.

Bringing this to tubas. Ever hear "band sucks" or "band geek!" or "you play that oompah thing?" et cetera? Somewhere, band, and non-pop music became 'uncool.' This seems to drive thought down in Georgia: If it's "cool" do it. Not if it feels good. It has to be cool.

The only reason I joined band in middle school was to avoid PE. Somehow, I caught the bug, though. Band "spoke" to me. But that is the 'uncool' rout, so most people avoided music classes, and many who were in them dropped out or ruined it with their apathy.

Somehow, in this diatribe, I am trying to say that I agree with Rick on the problems and possible solutions in education and our world in general.

Peace out,

Doug




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