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23 March 2007

Low-income and Struggling Schools

I do my share of complaining about the lack of attention my students pay to what they write, and one of the reasons for this is the long-term consequences I foresee when poor writers and thinkers are released into the world.

Let’s face it: common sense is no longer common.

I was scouring the news this morning for more details regarding the CSU strike when I came across a masthead that read, “Report Shows Misstep on Reading Program.” I temporarily abandoned my initial search and clicked on the link. Here is the fourth sentence:

[The 2002 No Child Left Behind law] offers intensive reading help for low-income and struggling schools.

Now, for those of you who think there is nothing wrong with this sentence, go back to your English teachers and pummel each of them!

Let’s take a closer look, shall we?

This sentence is reporting that a program offers help to schools. Are you kidding me?

(Oh no, you still don’t get it, do you?)

ERRRRRRRRRR

Schools are not alive, and they do not need help: the STUDENTS in them do!

What that sentence should read is:

[The 2002 No Child Left Behind law] offers intensive reading help for [STUDENTS ATTENDING] low-income and struggling schools.

I know: you’re thinking to yourself that I am being a nit-picker. You’re also thinking that you understood what was meant, so I ought to find something better to do.

I suppose you’re right.

I’m going outside to work on my backyard: I think I’ll put up some Bob Wire to keep out the idiots.

This entry was posted on Friday, March 23rd, 2007 at 9:39 am and is filed under College, Education, English, Illustration, Writing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.