Yesterday, I noticed that my students were not particularly good writers, and I wondered why. It’s not that I haven’t taught them stuff. I have taught them stuff, and my own skills as a writer have been sharpened by critiquing their skills. No, the thing I’d noticed was that their basic writing skills weren’t that great, and I was curious about that.
Ask and ye shall receive.
Today I know why they aren’t that good at writing. My colleagues aren’t that good at writing. For the last several hours, I’ve been editing the end-of-term comments by some of my colleagues.
They’re awful. Singularly appalling.
“Alan is a student who…” begins many of them.
“I have told Alan that that will not be tolerated.” Nor will it, in formal writing.
Is our children learning, indeed.
[X] Take trash out to dumpster.
[ ] Sort clothes
[X] Wash laundry
[X] Load dishwasher
[X] Correct Exams
[X] Finish comments (only about 8 or 9 left here)
[ ] Edit history department comments (this one’s the bear right now)
[X] Sort fall term paperwork into work-box
[X] Calculate fall term grades
[ ] Plan winter term curriculum for 7th grade
[ ] Plan winter term curriculum for 9th grade
[ ] Plan winter term writing curriculum
