I observed a Jr. High English class this morning and they started with a grammar exercise. I was thrilled to learn that every day they start with a sentence in need of correction- to teach basic rules. It was also scary because I found myself utterly questioning myself and my instinct in what was grammatically incorrect. I am going to have to study up on this!
11 comments:
So I know we've talked a lot about this subject, but I'm beginning to wonder if our innate distaste for teaching the proper "form" of writing is because we both don't really get it. I mean, I've always kind of had a natural "feel" for what was grammatically correct, but lacked the same explicit knowledge you mentioned. I'm scared that both because I don't like it and because I'm bad at it, I'll struggle in teaching my students "proper" English grammar and usage. Good luck to both of us I guess.
I definitely think I'm going to have brush up on grammar rules before I get within 40 feet of a classroom I am expected to teach, but I think its just because we've been away from "grammar school" so long and programs like Word do our corrections for us. You are not alone !!
Sorry to reiterate but I too feel like brushing up on grammar rules would be an excellent idea before stepping near a classroom setting. Trying to teach grammar rules, without knowing them ourselves, could very well be disastrous.
Like everybody else has stated, I also feel a bit anxious when thinking about teaching grammar. Maybe this feeling results from how much I disliked learning grammar in school. Because of this, teaching grammar always weighs heavily on my mind. I don't want to get too caught up in the "proper" ways to structure sentences, but I also feel my students should have a basic understanding of the rules so, when the time comes, they know how to effectively break them.
Mackenzie
Last year I worked with freshman students and they were working on several sentences that had grammatical errors. I too felt that questioning about my knowledge in knowing what was incorrect with the sentences and immediately told myself I must review. Grammar has been apart of learning for so long and I feel that there are options to certain "rules". Before I can teach anyone about the "correct rules" I need to hit the books. Rules matter to some extent, but I think there are those that are flexible - at least that is what some past educators told me.
Goodness! I feel this way all of the time. My roommate even made fun of me the other day because of all the editting that went into updating my facebook status. I just want it to be grammatically correct. I'm afraid someone will call me out on a mispelled word or passive voice. Worse, I'm afraid that I'm going to have to get in front of the classroom and teach grammar. Yikes! I need to brush up on my grammar rules.
Haha grammar, grammar, grammar... I hate when people use terrible grammar, but I hate studying grammar even more. So, what's the solution? I just wish everyone was born with it...
I must agree that I even question myself as to whether or not my grammar is correct. I always thought I knew what I was doing, but sometimes I question myself when I'm actually writing papers. Hopefully, re-learning some grammar would probably help all of us become stronger teachers and writers.
I (strangely enough) love this internal debate. I waver back and forth between my 50th-anniversary-Elements-Of-Style-edition-in-bonded-leather-with-gold-embossing side and my lassaiz-faire, as-a-journalism-major-I-was-taught-not-to-use-the-Oxford-comma-and-to-write-fairly-colloquially side.
I would definitely recommend David Foster Wallace's essay "Tense Present. Democracy, English, and the Wars over Usage."
This can be a touchy subject for many teachers and writers alike. I guess the importance of grammar is dependant on the topic or purpose. I remember doing those kind of sentences DOL (Daily Oral Language) and loved doing them because they were like a puzzle that needed finishing. I used a similar approach with my third graders and didn't really think much about why. I'll have to think about what I would do now a bit. Hmm...
I think your seriousness about grammar is an intensely personal choice as a teacher. Obviously, knowing the basics so that you can catch glaring flaws is indispensable, but besides that choosing certain 'optional' rules that have been outdated in the constant evolution of our common oral language is going to come down to how much you side with the necessity of standardization over the realities of your students' lives.
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