According to some, many native English speakers cannot understand basic grammar

[Leslie]

Gus wrote: "This theory is EXTREMELY valid in many areas in the South. I can vouch for this."
Oh, yes it most certainly is. Even my 7 year old winces in public at the bizarre grammar of our fellow small petrochemical town citizens.

[[deleted user]]

Zombie?

[[deleted user]]

*straps on helmet*

[Phil]

::thinks Barb may mistake Amelia's helmet for a bowl::

[Lobstergirl, el principe]

The National Council of Teachers of English decided that “the time has come to decenter book reading and essay writing as the pinnacles of English language arts education”. This probably isn't the greatest idea, since only 37 percent of American 12th graders are rated as proficient or better at reading.

One teacher who is opposed to the idea described what could happen when "The Great Gatsby" is being taught.

"What might have been a full read of “The Great Gatsby” is replaced by students reading the first three chapters, then listening to a TED Talk on the American dream, reading a Claude McKay poem, dressing up like flappers and then writing and delivering a PowerPoint presentation on the Prohibition. They’ll experience Chapters 4 through 8 only through plot summaries and return to their texts for the final chapter."

Ughh. I can't even.

[Scout]

This is what happens when a govenment entity has too much power.

Teachers are public servants whose sole purpose should be the education of their students. They should not be unionized for any reason. Each state should be responsible for setting goals for each grade, and for evaluating whether the students have achieved those goals.

And this is my personal opinion. The curriculum should include math, algebra, advanced algebra, trig, calculus. Biology, advanced biology, chemistry. English, grammar, composition, debate. Social studies, geography, world history, US history, current topics debate. Language study: Latin, Chinese, Spanish. Physical fitness: one class each semester. Electives: music, art, dance, weight training, defense classes.