We got another missive from Ana's school.

[conuly]

They seem to have finally wrested the italics function from the secretary. Sadly, she had another trick up her sleeve, and replaced it with bold. I was discussing the typesetting with my sister (specifically, is double spacing after periods just another stylistic choice, or is it a WRONG stylistic choice?) and Ana, frustrated that we weren't immediately jumping to enlighten her burst out with "you can't lock me out forever, you know!" She doesn't grasp that sometimes we don't tell her what we're talking about simply because it actually isn't that interesting.

Highlights: (this thing is long, no typing it out!)

1. There are parents who not only feel the "homework" (their quotes) is inadequate, but are incapable of making their own. Homework is officially tailored to the individual child's needs.

1b. Exact quote: "More homework" does not mean "better". It's not the "quantity" but the "quality" of the homework that matters. If you would like your child to have "additional homework", please have them "add onto" what was assigned.

1c. Where was this philosophy when Ana was sobbing over that damned reflection journal?

2. There are parents who are concerned about the CTT classes, which are officially "magnificent" (my quotes, for a change. Why should "they" have all the "fun"?) I'm not entirely certain reiterating that all kids are strong in some areas and weak and others is going to convince the person who reasons that somebody in special ed for an intellectual disability might actually not be as bright as his or her peers. Whether they have a valid complaint is debatable, but stating that they don't isn't going to help.

2a. Exact quote: It is not about "labels"; it's about "children". All children are "special" and require individualized instruction. Some are strong in Mathematics, while others are weak in this area but excel in "Writing".

3. The school has "highly qualified professionals" (their quotes!) to teach children. They are an "exemplary school", also their quotes, but that one might actually BE a quote.

4. They look forward to seeing us at the Complex Test "Curriculum Conferences" this month. No explanation as to what the heck that is.

5. "Bullying" is a problem. To combat this, they have a complex phrase of the month. A complex phrase seems to be a quotation. It is separate from the quote of the month.

6. Superfluous quote count? 45. Forty-five, people! Somebody needs to go over and forcibly pry the quote button off all their keyboards. We would be doing them a favor!

Comments

[elenbarathi.livejournal.com]

Blue-pencil the thing and mail it to the School Board, perhaps? I don't see how they can be calling themselves an 'exemplary school' when that's the kind of example they're setting.

If all children are "special", then no children are "special".

It's all very well to say "all children require individualized instruction", but exactly how is a public school going to provide that? If what this mess of gobbledegook is saying is that it's up to the parents to provide it, what's the role of all these "highly qualified professionals"?

How the bloody hell is a "complex phrase" supposed to combat "bullying"? What IS this complex phrase? Actually, I can think of a complex phrase that might work: "mandatory parent-teacher intervention conferences". If the schools were to stop blaming the victims, and instead started treating the bullies as the ones with something seriously wrong with them (viz. incipient sociopathy) it might make a difference.

[conuly]

The actual teachers, at least the ones I have seen, aren't this bad. At the very least they seem to understand the actual purpose of quotation marks.

As far as individualized instruction goes, all schools are supposed to provide it, mostly with the time honored tradition of reading and spelling and math groups, and pull-out classes for the children who are seriously behind. How well it works with a normal (rather than ideal) class size is debatable. Those that are very far ahead of the curve in any particular subject won't be well-served at all.

[elenbarathi.livejournal.com]

The actual teachers must be spittin' nails, then, to have this semi-literate with a keyboard (mis)representing them to the parents in such a way. Doubtless the semi-literate has such an unassailablly-indispensible position of Powah in the bureauocracy that nobody dares to cross her: very bad idea to correct the punctuation of someone who may destroy one's careeer with plausibly-deniable impunity.

Ever think, it's a real shame that Scott Adams, the author of the Dilbert comics, was an IT engineeer and not an elementary-school teecher? Picture Dilbert as John Taylor Gatto; he'd totally rock!

[marveen.livejournal.com]

Doublespacing used to be standard practice. I still automatically do it, as it was How I Learned Typing*, but when it became optional I do not know.

*You know, doublespace after periods, tab to indent, and at the end of each line you slap the carriage return. ;-D

[thornleaf.livejournal.com]

I learned that way, too. On a manual typewriter. To not double-space after a period makes me feel dirty.