Back to School: But Can Johnny Write?

SAN FRANCISCO - Aug. 11, 2015 - PRLog -- Technology is the word today in education.

STEM: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics

But can Johnny write? Is writing being taught anymore in our schools? And are writing mechanics, such as grammar and punctuation, being taught? Or are they being overlooked in favor of other, more entertaining lessons?

As a grammarian and former English teacher in the public school system, I am concerned. Here are some facts:

1.     Cursive is disappearing, memorization is taking a backseat to "critical thinking," and teaching grammar as a discrete subject is decreasing.

2.     The new Common Core standards contain grammar at every grade level—and sophisticated grammatical concepts at that.

3.     Standardized testing has done away with most grammar questions,  and it is more than rumored that essays are being graded by computer.

4.     Colleges continue to complain that their students can't write, and entering students need remedial English classes.

5.     Employers also complain that their employees cannot write clearly and error free. They need to spend money on remedial classes.

6.     Employers, even in technology, value liberal arts majors as employees who can think and communicate.

7.     A group of accountants reported that 90 percent of their job involves writing.

8.     People are reluctant to deal with companies whose websites and online materials contain grammatical, punctuation, and word usage errors.

9.     We are still judged by our speaking and writing.

Bigwords101 has just published The Best Grammar Workbook Ever! Grammar, Punctuation, and Word Usage for Ages 10 Through 110, written by Arlene Miller, The Grammar Diva.

With The Best Grammar Workbook Ever! . . .

·      If you are a parent, you can ensure that your child will be learning grammar.

·      If you are a teacher, you can feel more confident in your own grammar and more comfortable teaching it to your students.

·      If you are a school administrator, you can purchase the book in either print, e-book, or PDF format.

·      If you are a professional, entrepreneur, or job seeker, you will be confident that your writing and speaking will propel you forward rather than hold you back.

·      If you a college student, you will find it easier to write error-free papers.

The Best Grammar Workbook Ever! is available from all online retailers and most e-book sellers (and will be available on more e-book retailers soon). It is also available to order from bookstores, or in bulk from Ingram or another distributor you may use.  It contains over 100 practice exercises, a pretest, a post test, chapter tests, and a complete answer key. Highlights are a complete chapter on comma use, another chapter on commonly confused words, and chapters on common grammatical problems. The book begins with a thorough discussion of the basics. The 184-page book contains eight appendixes and a complete index.

Arlene Miller, The Grammar Diva, has experience as a newspaper reporter and editor, a technical writer and editor, a copyeditor of fiction and nonfiction, and 11 years of teaching experience. She is the author of the bestselling Best Little Grammar Book Ever!  and four other grammar books. She also writes a weekly blog post. She holds a B.A .degree in journalism and English and a M.A. degree in humanities. See her website at www.bigwords101.com.