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The inability of a growing number of Americans to correctly use the English language is a pet peeve of mine.
...and it's getting steadily worse. What do we do?
Well, for starters, vote embiciles off your local school board who think it's a waste of time to teach kids to write in cursive. I read an item in the local newspaper the other day about a school board somewhere in the eastern U.S. that voted to stop teaching cursive writing because, according to them, since everything on the computer monitor is in print, then there's no reason for students to know cursive...SHAMEFUL.
Next, teach your kids to read. Don't leave it up to the public school system.
Start them early. Here are a couple of proven methods to make kids WANT to read:
Most kids like comic books. When your child is four or five, start reading him comic books. Have him follow along as you read. When you get to the part where the hero is hanging by his fingertips on the cliff edge with the villain poised over him about to strike, suddenly remember that you forgot to vaccuum the dishes or wind the cat, close the comic book and leave it there with the child. If he's anything like me he'll figure out how to see if the hero got turned into batburgers. Show the child how to look words up in the dictionary and give him access to one. You'll be amazed at how quickly he'll be reading at a college junior level.
Another way, and I used this method on my kids, is to let reading be the only excuse to extend bedtime. At my house my kids had a strict 9 pm bedtime. The only excuse for being up later than that was to be reading. They fell for it hook, line and sinker. I got the idea from author Spider Robinson; brilliant guy.
In an era when it seems fashionable and cool to be an idiot, our kids and, by extension our whole nation, are dumbing down and giving up. Please don't let this happen.
Mark
...and it's getting steadily worse. What do we do?
Well, for starters, vote embiciles off your local school board who think it's a waste of time to teach kids to write in cursive. I read an item in the local newspaper the other day about a school board somewhere in the eastern U.S. that voted to stop teaching cursive writing because, according to them, since everything on the computer monitor is in print, then there's no reason for students to know cursive...SHAMEFUL.
Next, teach your kids to read. Don't leave it up to the public school system.
Start them early. Here are a couple of proven methods to make kids WANT to read:
Most kids like comic books. When your child is four or five, start reading him comic books. Have him follow along as you read. When you get to the part where the hero is hanging by his fingertips on the cliff edge with the villain poised over him about to strike, suddenly remember that you forgot to vaccuum the dishes or wind the cat, close the comic book and leave it there with the child. If he's anything like me he'll figure out how to see if the hero got turned into batburgers. Show the child how to look words up in the dictionary and give him access to one. You'll be amazed at how quickly he'll be reading at a college junior level.
Another way, and I used this method on my kids, is to let reading be the only excuse to extend bedtime. At my house my kids had a strict 9 pm bedtime. The only excuse for being up later than that was to be reading. They fell for it hook, line and sinker. I got the idea from author Spider Robinson; brilliant guy.
In an era when it seems fashionable and cool to be an idiot, our kids and, by extension our whole nation, are dumbing down and giving up. Please don't let this happen.
Mark
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