I don't disagree that those things are frustra...

2010-02-15T16:11:14.990-05:00

I don't disagree that those things are frustrating (just ask me about the errors on Number Two's Knowledge-a-Thon question list!) and important. But I absolutely do not agree that it's anything new.

25 years ago, my mother was a copywriter for Smith and Wesson. She interviewed people who were college graduates with degrees in English applying for writing and editing jobs who couldn't get basic grammar right on their resumes and cover letters.

75-year-old sheet music my boss used to wallpaper our bathroom at my old job had typos and missing words.

In fact, I'd suggest that in this country, an overall emphasis on the importance of education has GROWN over the decades. I mean, when did we start mandating that kids had to have a high school diploma instead of letting them stop at 8th grade? When did college become important to the middle class and not just the rich?

So yeah, there's a lot of work to be done, and the lack of attention to detail drives me INSANE, but I don't see it as evidence of decline of society. :)

It is sad, Vicky. As an educator I point to the n...

2010-02-13T11:15:05.189-05:00

It is sad, Vicky. As an educator I point to the need for schools to have their students pass state mandates like the PSSA tests. The writing portion of those tests is entirely evaluated on content, no grammar, spelling or proper sentence construction needed. It will only get worse as politicians believe improving education means spending more of the school day on testing and less on teaching.

Comments on Ceiling Fans: A Sad State of Affairs

I don't disagree that those things are frustra...

It is sad, Vicky. As an educator I point to the n...