national handwriting day

[Jan Kammert]

Fritz, do you teach in K-12?  I teach 8th grade, and I also have students
who cannot read cursive and students who cannot tell time on a traditional
clock.  I also have students who don't know the months of the year in
order.  They would not know, for example, that March is the third month.
A staff member suggested that the emphasis on standardized testing has
pushed elementary schools to teach only what will be on the test.

Maybe, but I learned how to tell time and the months before I started
school.
Jan


On Fri, 12 Jan 2007, FRITZ JUENGLING wrote:

> >>> spiderrmonkey at HOTMAIL.COM 1/12/2007 8:02 AM >>>
> Although I understand your pain, I (someone who once learned cursive)
> find
> cursive to be unnecessary. Printing works just as well, it just isn't
> as
> "fancy" or "pretty." But that's just my controversial take on the
> matter.
>
> Scot
>
> I guess I put this in the same category with teenagers not knowing how
> to tie their shoes or tell time on a traditional clock.  These things
> just seem like common knowledge to me, but they're not.  I had a girl
> only a few weeks ago when we were learning time just sit and look at me
> when I asked her the time.  She couldn't say anything.  She's bright and
> I had done a good job of teaching the concept. Finally, she just blurted
> out that she couldn't tell time on a traditional clock.  Since she
> couldn't do it in English, she wasn't able to do it in German.  I really
> wonder what these kids think about and how they deal with the world
> around them.  I guess they just ignore a lot of things.
> Fritz
> >
> >

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