Illiteracy

We were discussing about illiteracy in the school system today. My prof happened to have a copy of a note written by a local community college student to an instructor there. My prof knew the instructor personally, so it wasn't some hoax.The person that wrote the following note had no mental problem. She was not mentally retarded or anything. She was an average white girl. Somehow, she made it through high school and ended up in the community college while having such a writing skill. Again, take my word for it. This is real stuff.By the way, try figuring out what the student was trying to say. Don't ask me because I don't have a clue what the note says.

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The Laminator

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*stares in disbelief*How the hell did this person get to college?!? I mean, you do have written exams and stuff don't you?With that level of literacy you wouldn't even get into secondary school over here. No principal would willingly accept you as a student.Wait a second... maybe it's in code...The Rock Hound, pondering

Very sad.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

Damn, it's disheartening to think they're graduating people like this and not keeping them in the system to get more help. My public high school in Hawaii wasn't great by any means, but you could tell from the bathroom graffiti that most kids could at least write Here's my best attempt. I was doing okay at the beginning but it gets harder toward the end. I assume there was more to the note, because it seems to end mid-sentence. Then again, would you be surprised?*****************************************************************My problem began when I signed up for this class. I was told that this class were to start on the 2nd. I waited for 2-1/2 hours and then they said the 11th. I came and were turned down. Since then, I have been out is 5 times and I were turned away. Finally I took the test. The resource (?) not come back so I (?) (?) (?) be taken off of my....

I have a problem because I was told that this class was to start on the 2nd.....(clutter clang, wiz box smokes).. I went on the 2nd and then they said the 11th. I came and was turned down. since then I have been out 5 times and I was turned away. Finally I took the test(??) - the reason I did not come back (?)

i thnk tat ths peopls rally neesd hep wit herr righting scills.

Oh, for God's sakes.They should have interventions for bad writing, like they do for alcohol and crack. They ought to nab your ass, stuff you in a burlap sack, and dump you at a camp for intense language help out in the woods.

It's a community college, so anyone at all can take classes there. We discussed this in our class and the best guess about this person that we could come up with was that she grew up in a remote area in the deep south or that she was improperly homeschooled. It is hard to imagine that people who can't write can slip right through the system, but it does happen occasionally.

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The Laminator

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Having been raised by a gopher tortoise in the midst of a piney wood deep, deep in the south, I must take exception to your statement. Why even Lord Greystoke, born into far worse conditions, learned to write and speak with some eloquence.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

I imagine she just got friends/boyfriends/suitors to write things for her, for classes and stuff.

Nice to see everyone being so sympathetic. No one appears to consider that the person in question may simply have a learning disability. They may be quite intelligent but have difficulty puting thoughts down on paper, this could be for a variety of reasons. In most of scotland's schools and colleges people with profound special educational needs are provided with a scribe wherever possible, I have voluntarily done this for adults and children several times.People shouldnt be excluded just because they are unable to put what is in their heads on to a sheet of paper, this person may understand the subject content very well and may be able to explain their answers a lot better than they can write them. If this person is of as low ability as the note suggests, then it will obviously be spotted either at the first course assessment or perhaps earlier and appropriate action taken.I actually think this is pretty mean to post on the net as well, all I can say is 'there but for the grace of God go I'. Brian. (counting his blessings)

Again, let me repeat this. We were assured, and I trust my prof, that the girl had no learning disabilities. It's not that hard to not be able to put your thoughts into words. There are many ways in which she could have slipped right through the system. One is perhaps she was homeschooled improperly. In the past, not all places were required homeschooled kids to pass certain standardized tests. Just throw in the right environment and you will get a result like that.I do not think it is mean to post it here. I thought I'd share a point about illiteracy. I have not mentioned any name or region where this person is. I have not seen any personal attack on the person.

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The Laminator

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The whole note is essentially a text book example of someone with dyslexia, two lettered words with the letters in the wrong order, word fleuncy problems, poor word recognition, difficulty in transfering infromation etc. I think there should be a second opinion. You mean it isn't difficult for you or I, or anyone else at this forum, apart from Desdamona of course. But have you ever sat and been unable to think of a word or think of a song title and it cracks you up? Can you imagine being like that ten or twenty times a day?I know you are working from the premise that this girl is in perfect 'working order', I just think that any teacher/lecturer worth his salt would try and help anyone like this. Passing on a note to a colleague is totally unprefessional as well, IMO. But seriously, how long would (did?) she last in college, any idea? Point taken, I half apologise! It just annoys the life out of me that some people are not given an equal chance in life. Morons, such as Desdamona, who homeschool their kids are robbing them of the most special years of their lives. The years where most learning is done should be a wonderful adventure, but instead some kids are hearing creation myths and flood stories and told that they are true, or they are colouring in pictures of an ark while listening to Benny Hinn on TV.We have homeschooling here in scotland, but it is strictly monitored and aligned to the school curriculum. My impression of American homeschooling is that it isn't monitored at all. Having said that, I would trust Truthlover to educate any kids that I may have, if I have any that is.Anyway, I apologise if it apeared I was getting at you, it wasnt intentional, I do consider you an intelligent, articulate and polite person, I just sympathise (maybe too much) with the author of the note.Brian.

"Some kids" - Well, come now Brian, we are both British, just exactly how many in Britain are getting this treatment?I myself only ever was told about biology/evolution in the science class, and rightly so in the "how" section of school. I do agree however, that the person might have a disability, and so it does seem a bit harsh on the kid to put her on the spot. Hardly a criminal act by Lam though.

Hi Mike, Very few I would say, given our monitoring of homeschooling, but how many in America Mike? A child is a child regardless of where they live.Our problem in the UK is the lack of interest that a lot of parents take in what their kids are doing. Go to any town centre at almost anytime of the night and there's kids hanging around, small kids who should be at home but are running around after midnight. I know from experience that a lot of parents are hardly more then kids themselves, all they want to do is to get the kids out of the way so they can go out drinking or sit and watch TV. We have major problems here as well, but the fundy homeschooling isnt one of them, that is only because they cannot get away with it here. Yes but these homeschooled kids, the ones with the ultra conservative fundy parents a la Desdamona, are teaching these to the exclusion of everything else. I do not mind educating kids about The Ark and The Flood and Jesus and Resurrection stories, but only in an RME class. Sure parents can teach them this at home as well, but they cannot do it to the exclusion of an all round curriculum. Yes I did overreact, that's why I apologised to Lam.Brian.