This past week my students and I read the book A Very Important Day that chronicles many New York City families’ trip downtown in a snow storm for their citizenship ceremony. We learned that to become a citizen of the United States that petitioners need to have lived here for five years (legally), speak English (so they don’t run us over on the road), take a test, and pledge an oath of loyalty.
We also spoke how most of us are what a supplemental book we read called Auto-Americans because we were born here or born to American citizens. As such, we do not need to jump through the hoops of learning about the United States. It is assumed we know these things. Perhaps that is an assumption we should not make.
For instance, if one wants to be President of the United States, shouldn’t he be able to pass the test that naturalized citizens are expected to pass? I think that is fair for a basic level litmus test. If the president cannot answer these questions, I think it is fair to say he is deficient in the requisite knowledge to lead the country.
Check out question #97. It states:
Why does the flag have 50 stars?
The answer is, of course, any of the following:
because there is one star for each state
because each star represents a state
because there are 50 states
Contrast those acceptable answers with the answer the presumptive Democrat candidate gave yesterday:
As I plan my lessons, I came across something that gave me pause.
The reading series we use is Harcourt Trophies. In the teacher’s manual on page 527 I read the following modeling I am encouraged to offer my students:
To make sure I focus on important information, I ask myself: What families is the author writing about?
Huh? What families is? Forgive me, but I am going to use my discretion and eschew this line of discussion with my students. I strive to have them speak proper English.
That isn’t the only test it creates, however. The battery of tests New Jersey administers is also created by ETS. I just administered the NJ ASK (assessment of skill and knowledge). This test is administered to all New Jersey students grades 3-8. High School students take the HSPA (high school proficiency assessment). This too is an ETS test.
Today I received an e-mail that included a memorandum from Jay Doolan, Ed.D., Assistant Commissioner Division of Educational Standards and Programs. Doolan shared the news that ETS is out as New Jersey’s standardized testing program for elementary school:
The assessments for grades 3 and 4 will be administered starting in spring 2009 under a contract awarded last year to Measurement Incorporated of Durham, North Carolina.
Now we find out our standardized test is being outsourced to North Carolina! The premiere testing service is a New Jersey business. Yet the state sends this multi-million dollar contract out of state. Is it any wonder that taxes rise each year?
My folks sent me away to a fancy prep school. I think I struggled acclimating to an environment where the guy who lived next door to me flew back to school in the family’s LearJet, others whose parents were big wigs in business and government, and everyone seemed to come from a privileged background.
I learned a lot at that school, despite my adolescent insecurities. I am pretty certain that one of the things I learned was that pronouns are to agree with their antecedents. If not there, then I learned it in the “lesser” schools I attended prior to going to St. Andrew’s. I know I currently teach the skill in a public school fourth grade.
That is why I am surprised to have read the following just now:
PLEASE LIST THE NAME OF YOUR GUEST/SPOUSE WHO WILL BE ATTENDING REUNION SO WE CAN PROVIDE THEM WITH NAMETAGS.
THEM refers to the antecedent GUEST/SPOUSE. GUEST/SPOUSE is singular, THEM is plural. Forget the all caps and forget that English does not have a gender-neutral possessive pronoun to use for words such as guest and spouse. His is the traditional possessive pronoun to use in this case. I know, some folks state that does not work either. Fine. What we do have is a plural possessive pronoun whose antecedent is a singular noun. That is incorrect. At minimum, the sentence needs to be re-worded so not to end in a situation where a plural possessive pronoun can be contemplated to be proper for a singular noun.
I received this e-mail the other day from a parent of a student in someone else’s classroom. The names have been changed:
I just wanted to take a minute and thank the three of you for coming out to support our kids last night. I know it meant so much to the kids that you took time out of your personal life to come see them play baseball. I know how excited John was to have you there.. And you could see the excitement on all the other kid’s faces… they really enjoyed having some of their teachers there rooting them on. You being there again just goes to show what a great, caring group of teachers we have. And as a parent, I’m so happy to know my children are entrusted to you every day.
Each year I inform my students that I will attend at least one game (baseball, soccer, whatever) during the season if they provide me a schedule. Taking in the baseball game the other night, I was joined by a couple of my colleagues and a few parents. Since I had students on both teams, I was guaranteed a win (and a loss). It was a good time!
