Only in Texas.....
- Thread starter Twila
- Start date
Even though the heat there causes me to spend the daylight hours hiding under rocks,these dudes sure know how to barbecue.I'd like to see if anyone can top that one! 
Study: 11 million adults in the U.S. lack English skills to do basic tasks
A teaser:
WASHINGTON — About one in 20 adults in the United States is not literate in English, meaning 11 million people lack the skills to handle many everyday tasks, a federal study shows.
From 1992 to 2003, adults made no progress in their ability to read sentences and paragraphs or understand other printed material such as bus schedules or prescription labels.
Some 30 million adults have "below basic" skills in prose. Their ability is so limited that they may not be able to make sense of a simple pamphlet, for example. This total includes 7 million adults considered not to be literate in English but with enough knowledge of the language at least to be tested.
By comparison, 95 million adults, or 44 percent of the population, have intermediate prose skills, meaning they can do moderately challenging activities. An example would be consulting a reference book to determine which foods contain a certain vitamin. [/end of teaser]
Puzzling.
A teaser:
WASHINGTON — About one in 20 adults in the United States is not literate in English, meaning 11 million people lack the skills to handle many everyday tasks, a federal study shows.
From 1992 to 2003, adults made no progress in their ability to read sentences and paragraphs or understand other printed material such as bus schedules or prescription labels.
Some 30 million adults have "below basic" skills in prose. Their ability is so limited that they may not be able to make sense of a simple pamphlet, for example. This total includes 7 million adults considered not to be literate in English but with enough knowledge of the language at least to be tested.
By comparison, 95 million adults, or 44 percent of the population, have intermediate prose skills, meaning they can do moderately challenging activities. An example would be consulting a reference book to determine which foods contain a certain vitamin. [/end of teaser]
Puzzling.
And that is one of the things that really make me want to scream. How difficult can it be to learn to read and then do it???
I've noticed a major slip in skills beginning with people in my own generation. When I graduated from high school in 1982, most signs, billboards, advertising materials, banners on television shows (those things they'll insert below someone's face, etc), magazines, newspapers and books were printed in proper grammatical English and spelled correctly. Additionally, broadcasters spoke well enough that I rarely heard many instances of misused or mispronounced words.
But since that time, I've noticed a downward trend in all of these things. Today, even prestigious publications are prone to mis-spellings, typos that appear to go unnoticed by proofreaders, and even grammatical errors that would have earned me poor grades in English had I made them when I was in school. Additionally, broadcasters have become much sloppier in matters of pronunciation, grammar and using the proper word for what they want to say. Perhaps the most annoying thing is that no one else seems to even notice.
It makes me want to just shake people sometimes and ask them what the hell is wrong with them. I really don't want to be the grammar Nazi or spelling police, but honestly I wish that people would demonstrate that they actually CARE about the use of language.
At this rate, two generations from now, people will be once again communicating in grunts and gestures in the U.S.
I've noticed a major slip in skills beginning with people in my own generation. When I graduated from high school in 1982, most signs, billboards, advertising materials, banners on television shows (those things they'll insert below someone's face, etc), magazines, newspapers and books were printed in proper grammatical English and spelled correctly. Additionally, broadcasters spoke well enough that I rarely heard many instances of misused or mispronounced words.
But since that time, I've noticed a downward trend in all of these things. Today, even prestigious publications are prone to mis-spellings, typos that appear to go unnoticed by proofreaders, and even grammatical errors that would have earned me poor grades in English had I made them when I was in school. Additionally, broadcasters have become much sloppier in matters of pronunciation, grammar and using the proper word for what they want to say. Perhaps the most annoying thing is that no one else seems to even notice.
It makes me want to just shake people sometimes and ask them what the hell is wrong with them. I really don't want to be the grammar Nazi or spelling police, but honestly I wish that people would demonstrate that they actually CARE about the use of language.
At this rate, two generations from now, people will be once again communicating in grunts and gestures in the U.S.
Learning by example, too. If the parents are reading, the kids will read.
If the parents are crack losers and grunting every day, stoned, to the television, the kids won't be much different.
My children are literate, and cute.
If the parents are crack losers and grunting every day, stoned, to the television, the kids won't be much different.
My children are literate, and cute.
Well, yes, that is true. I was very fortunate in having two highly literate parents, both avid readers, and in that my mother read to me from my infancy.
Then again, I have a hard time believing that such an enormous proportion of people my own age could have had parents who were at best semi-literate.
Then again, I have a hard time believing that such an enormous proportion of people my own age could have had parents who were at best semi-literate.
Through out grade school, both of my boys teachers consistantly missed errors in spelling and grammar. My kids were told not to use phonix to help them to read ( ie: sounding out the word) , but were told to guess if they were un-sure...??? I was asked more than once to stop teaching my kids to read at home because they were learning as a class.Apparently,, it was something I thought was important. my boys were the only ones who could print their whole name when they enetered school. I was also told that my kids were slow when they began school and would have trouble through out. They were both tested as gifted ( 8O they're talking mensa gifted 8O ) at the age of 10 and went part time into gifted programs. My oldest son is in his 1st year in college Radio Broadcasting and Media, and the other is a published poet at 16 yrs. ( oh....was I bragging..... :roll: )
It's no wonder people are struggling with every day things. Without back up how could anyone be expected to succeed. I am an avid reader, and my kids have learned by example. My three year old is already in a book club at the local library.
Start them young, and encourage so they can succeed.
It's no wonder people are struggling with every day things. Without back up how could anyone be expected to succeed. I am an avid reader, and my kids have learned by example. My three year old is already in a book club at the local library.
Start them young, and encourage so they can succeed.
Sounds like you're having the same crap that my parents got from my school. They also told parents not to teach their kids to read at home, and tried to label me learning disabled when it turned out that I was gifted (and I probably qualify for Mensa too but haven't done anything about it). Fortunately they at least used phonics to teach us to read, though.... Ifind that if one learns reading that way, one still eventually reaches the point of mastering whole-word gestalt reading within a couple of years anyway, or at least I did.
The fact that the schools are doing as they've done though is utterly ridiculous, though. It's a good thing I'm not a parent, because my kids' teachers would've gotten an earful from me if they'd given me that garbage.Hats of to you for sticking to it and teaching yours anyway... especially having that little one in a book club at three. Reading is the root of everything else kids (and adults) need to know and be able to do.
The fact that the schools are doing as they've done though is utterly ridiculous, though. It's a good thing I'm not a parent, because my kids' teachers would've gotten an earful from me if they'd given me that garbage.Hats of to you for sticking to it and teaching yours anyway... especially having that little one in a book club at three. Reading is the root of everything else kids (and adults) need to know and be able to do.
Personally I thought the public school system held me back. You are suppose to learn things at teacher convenience and at a certain time. They should have schools or classes geared to diferent interests of the students.
Re: RE: Only in Texas.....
ABSOLUTELY!
One of my pet peeves as well.
We have exactly the same problem in Canada.
I mean, if you misspell something in private correspondence, or on some forum , so what?
But on public signs? My favourite source of outrage used to be the news scroll on TV.
Summer said:
ABSOLUTELY!
One of my pet peeves as well.
We have exactly the same problem in Canada.
I mean, if you misspell something in private correspondence, or on some forum
, so what?But on public signs? My favourite source of outrage used to be the news scroll on TV.
Try watching some of those close captioned shows most of the time you have to turn the sound back on because the spelling is unreadable! CTV News is a good example
Re: RE: Only in Texas.....
Both of my teenage boys agree, and I can see there point. They live in an instant society, with access to the internet, and computer programs. Information is literally a click away. Sitting in a class room, for 70 mins, while the teacher drones on, is quite painfull. My kids admittedly tune out, in these situations. Kids today need constant stimulation, they are the video generation, like it or not.
I think the education system needs to be re- examined, and brought up to date to fit with the world our kids live in.
There has to be a happy medium where kids don't get lost in the flow.
:idea:
Jay said:
Both of my teenage boys agree, and I can see there point. They live in an instant society, with access to the internet, and computer programs. Information is literally a click away. Sitting in a class room, for 70 mins, while the teacher drones on, is quite painfull. My kids admittedly tune out, in these situations. Kids today need constant stimulation, they are the video generation, like it or not.
I think the education system needs to be re- examined, and brought up to date to fit with the world our kids live in.
There has to be a happy medium where kids don't get lost in the flow.
:idea:
You know what, Colpy? Even practicing good spelling and such in private correspondence makes it such a natural ability that then there is far less likelihood of one's misusing the language in a formal situation.
It's why I'm so prone to editing my own posts; I usually see typos and such immediately after I've hit "submit" and I cannot stand to see something I've written sitting out there with mistakes in it. (Of course, I'm also a bit of a perfectionist, but still....)
Bhoour, excellent point about the speed at which kid's minds will work vs the "drone" of a lecture. Part of the problem there, of course, is that some teachers just don't try hard enough to find ways of making the material interesting, and naturally the students will tune out in that case. I remember an instructor I had in college who was able to take the driest subject matter in our class and make it fascinating just by his presentation skills alone - he found ways to captivate us as an audience, injected off-the-wall humor into his lectures to illustrate a point or even just to fix an idea in our minds, and we learned a lot from him because of that. If you can imagine taking a Sociology 101 course taught by Robin Williams, you'll have a pretty good idea of what his class was like.
It's why I'm so prone to editing my own posts; I usually see typos and such immediately after I've hit "submit" and I cannot stand to see something I've written sitting out there with mistakes in it. (Of course, I'm also a bit of a perfectionist, but still....)
Bhoour, excellent point about the speed at which kid's minds will work vs the "drone" of a lecture. Part of the problem there, of course, is that some teachers just don't try hard enough to find ways of making the material interesting, and naturally the students will tune out in that case. I remember an instructor I had in college who was able to take the driest subject matter in our class and make it fascinating just by his presentation skills alone - he found ways to captivate us as an audience, injected off-the-wall humor into his lectures to illustrate a point or even just to fix an idea in our minds, and we learned a lot from him because of that. If you can imagine taking a Sociology 101 course taught by Robin Williams, you'll have a pretty good idea of what his class was like.
o I can imagine actually !! Dr. Nancy Wilson, Grade 11 biology. Best teacher I ever had. She kept us on edge, which made it fun. How info. is delivered to students, of any age, makes a huge difference.
side> edit
:lol:
I edit my posts all the time too. Spelling mistakes bug me...also sometimes I reverse letters when tpynig. :wink: My parents , my sister, and two of my aunts are teachers. My sp's have been corrected my whole life.
:roll:
side> edit
:lol:
I edit my posts all the time too. Spelling mistakes bug me...also sometimes I reverse letters when tpynig. :wink: My parents , my sister, and two of my aunts are teachers. My sp's have been corrected my whole life.
:roll: