Illiteracy

Hi Bri! Do the americans know that it is different here? - That question often crosses my mind. You're a teacher aren't you, it must cross your mind also. Creationism in Britain is almost none-existent, surely. RME, Religous m_____ education?......I agree. Science is science, and even I believe creationism is more religion, or sadly - in some cases, "conspiracy theories". I prefer the Hugh Ross approach.This message has been edited by mike the wiz, 05-20-2004 12:40 PM

I never said that the instructor never tried to help the student. The problem is that this is a community college we are talking about. Anybody at all, including someone from Ethiopia who doesn't know a word of English, could sign up for a class and attend. College instructors are a lot less personal than grade school teachers. They are also a lot more busy.Instructors pass on someone else's work all the time. They usually don't include the students' names. You can agree or disagree whether it's ethical for instructors to use students' materials as examples, but there's nothing wrong with it. In fact, an English instructor of mine once passed out several papers written by people in our class and everybody got a chance to poke at mistakes on those papers. My paper was one of them.I still don't see anything unprofessional about passing on such a paper to a colleage.By the way, I used to be a teacher's assistant. I've worked with people with such mental problems.Regarding the possibility of mental disorder in this person, I personally don't know. However, my prof assured us that his friend checked out to see if the student had any mental problem. It is law here that public institutions have compensate (not financially) to allow students with disabilities to attend. She wasn't qualified to be one.We all take granted our ability to put thoughts into words. That's because we all went through proper schooling.

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The Laminator

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Hi Mike, I think they do, yes. I teach RME (Religious and moral education) yes and it crosses my mind a lot. I must add it isn't just the Christian fundy I feel awkward with, I don't agree with any religious indoctrination of children. It is virtually non-existent. I still go to church now and then, I talk to a lot of students at Uni, and virtually none of them go for this creation scinece nonsense at all. I did have one colleague who swallowed the whole literal bible approach, but now he is a qualified teacher he wants to go teach in America!! LOLMaybe it is to do with the size of America, who knows, but that southern Bible belt sounds like an open asylum.Brian.

I see now that the literal bible isn't really a "must". Though I myself am not qualified to give a judgement on creation science. I have no science knowledge like you guys so basically I think God created the earth - and that is the sum of my "creationist" tag, --> that somehow - we're here. I've even heard about this aswell. It could be the size, yes.Okay, I'll leave you alone now.

Hi, This wasn't someone's work though, it was a private note... 'My prof happened to have a copy of a note written by a local community college student to an instructor there.' I was under the impression that it was a personal note from the student to the lecturer and not a piece of class work. A note from a student to a lecturer is a private correspondence in my book. I agree that work from preceding years, with the name blanked out, can be used in class work. But this is not the same as a note of explanation between a student and lecturer. I think this would be okay IF he sought students' permission first, it could backfire drastically in some situations. Maybe you will one day.Brian.

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Maybe it is to do with the size of America, who knows, but that southern Bible belt sounds like an open asylum.

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*shrieks from behind the doors*I'm not crazy, I just work here! LET ME OUT!!!

LOL, but even an asylum has a smattering of sane people.We call it 'care in the community' here.I wasn't referring to everyone of course, but we here some scary stories about some areas over there. My colleague actually wants to go there to teach, I think he is after a Doris Day to look after him.Brian.

Wanna hear my best Mississippi backwoods story? My best friend and I nearly got blasted by a paranoid redneck cop about 2 years ago (speaking of illiteracy). We had stopped for the night and were clowning around outside the car when this guy rolled up with his lights on, ran to his trunk and cocked his shotgun. It's amazing how that sound sticks in your memory.
We stood with hands in the air for a long time while he stole a few bottles of good liquor from us in the name of the state, threatened to arrest me, and then sent us on our way after his backup arrived. They apparently realized that he had probably used excessive force and searched us without cause. The only thing that lent a shred of legitimacy to his actions was that his county still enforces (drum roll, please) PROHIBITION. Hey, it's only been eight decades since it was repealed. These things take time to get around.
They say if you stay south of Interstate 10, which never gets more than about 5 miles from the Gulf, then you're usually all right.

The word "up" being written as "pu" is a classic for dyslexia and I would bet my bottom dollar that it figures here somewhere.Not long ago, I was involved with an final year Honours student doing a research project. She had a firm grasp of the aims and objectives, had worked out all the experiments she wanted to do to fulfill these, with very little help and she went ahead and translated all of this into some excellent experimental work, with some really neat and innovative controls as well. I was impressed - she was good.Then I got her first draft of her write-up. At least the example given here had verbs in the sentences. This write-up had very few verbs, many sentences had no subject, prepositions stood as a sentence on their own. Even though I was very involved in her project, I couldn't make out what she was saying. Heck, I didn't even recognise some of the work I had physically helped with. Funny thing was, if I spoke to her about it she was articulate and able to describe all her work and results in grammatically correct sentences. It seemed there was some sort of block which prevented her writing down what she wanted to express, but she could speak it. I told her to throw her draft in the bin and gave her a tape recorder. She "talked" her write-up onto the tape recorder. Then she transcribed it word for word and it was great!!This was the first time I've ever come across something weird like this and it was a real eye opener for me. If I had only been given the write-up, without knowing the work put in, she would have been an automatic fail! As it was, she did quite well. Food for thought, folks!

Unfortunately, things like this turn up from time to time as anecdotal evidence in the battle (make that war) over public education in the US. Which is, at its heart, a fight over racial integration and forced indoctrination in far-Right / Christian fundamentalist beliefs at taxpayer expense. I note that Lam mentioned she was an "average white girl". That's not an accusation, Lam; in my brief time here I'm aware of your decency. The point is that you relayed the information you were given, and part of that included the author's race, as though illiteracy in non-whites is somehow understandable. That fact alone makes me suspicious, and I find it troubling that the professor wouldn't try to get the student some help, privately, no matter how "busy" he is. He had the time to pass the note around, after all. And it fairly screams "learning disability".

Dyslexia leaves characteristic traces in the handwriter of those who have it; this handwritting does not show those characteristics. Note, for example, that the writter has stuck to neat lines.

The paper itself was lined!

I am still very shocked at this! Almost all of the United States is religious! If you say you are Atheist in Public you get nasty comments and looks.. Its Insane! I have been all over the states and its like that everywhere(worse in the south) (sorry for going off topic)

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My site The Atheist BibleMy New Debate Fourms!

Yep, you're unlucky, people can be judgemental. No wonder you've ended up reading an atheist bible, they drive you away. If it's any consolation, you can still be a believer, Lol. (only kidding).

This also bugs me, I had always been under the impression that the US was a somewhat educated and accepting country, but after taking a serous look I've noticed we're not quite what I had originally thought.(I am an American)