Thank you! I'm grateful you enjoyed it. I can't imagine having a math teacher at home. You are fortunate to have survived the ordeal. I suspect you spent a lot of time doing word problems (train A left the station...).
Thank you kindly, good sir. Yes, "Rose" is a fantastic film, and an even better book. Not only is the story brilliant, but the attention to detail and the richly drawn characters feel as if I am actually standing in that time and place. I've watched it a hundred times, and it never gets old.
Somewhere there is the requirements to pass 8th grade in the Kansas school system in the 1890's I think. I don't think todays college students could do it. It was from an article I read years ago, I can't remember where.
Your screeds are always mind-stretching and this one extends the boundaries, your ‘education' was a feature of your home life and you’ve taken it around the world with you. However I quibble a minor scintilla regarding: If two people do not speak the same language, they can likely never transmit their thoughts to each other. We sponsored a Spanish exchange student through high school and invited her parents to her graduation - they were single-lingual. In spite of our inability to share a common tongue we were able to communicate through signs, emotions and other creative methods such that we all enjoyed our expressive successful attempts at communication. Uninhibited creative expression is connective.
You are absolutely correct. Great actors know that the body is its own language, and the eyes are indeed the windows of the soul. When I landed in Indonesia, I knew only how to say "thank you". With Spanish, there are at least common cultural and linguistic roots to work from, but with Indonesian, but for a few cognates, there is little in common with European languages. It took me years to fully grasp complex syntax and connotations. As a teacher, I can not teach the connotations of words. Those are experiential. It is one thing to say, "I'm hungry. Let's eat." It's quite another to convey, "Shall we dine al fresco at the sidewalk cafe?" As a side note, Javanese was the first foreign language I learned using another foreign language. That's a rather unusual experience.
As we are on ’special communicative terms’ I risk sharing my latest Subtack thoughts regarding our year-end musings, may it coincide in a way with your’s as well.
I will gladly read, and most likely thoroughly enjoy your thoughts, but the link is to your desktop file. I'm a pretty good hacker, but not that good. Send the file to luap.jkt (at) gmail (dot) com. That should reach me in short order.
It gives me great pleasure to know you enjoy my efforts, though it's a bit intimidating to think you are reading my thoughts. I will have to guard them better. :)
Conjugating and declining in English is hardly an effort. Put Latin back in the schools. Make those kids memorize "illi illa illum" again! Torture them with irregular -are/-ere/-ire until they break! Force them to assimilate the Greek alphabet (alpha-beta). These kids today are soft!
Ha! Let's see them determine if a verb is transitive or intransitive from prepositional phrases. That'll learn 'em! Do they even diagram any more? In any case, it all started when they got rid of phonics. Hell, I see words like "traveller" spelled with one "l" in the New York Times, for crissake! Even spell check flags it right here on the Stack. What the hell is a "tra-VEE-ler" any way? Do these kids know the different between long and short vowels, and why words are spelled a certain way? Ugh! I give up! :)
You have outdone yourself on this one. Fan-damn-tastic. My mother the English and Math teacher would be with you all the way. Thank you.
Thank you! I'm grateful you enjoyed it. I can't imagine having a math teacher at home. You are fortunate to have survived the ordeal. I suspect you spent a lot of time doing word problems (train A left the station...).
I pegged you for a McGuffey man. I'm worried AI will turn us allerdings into mush brains. You should start a school
If you have a couple of million lying around gathering dust, I have a plan for a proper academy. Bring back the Socratic method!
Well done and all true. "The Name of the Rose" is an excellent whodunit, too.
Thank you kindly, good sir. Yes, "Rose" is a fantastic film, and an even better book. Not only is the story brilliant, but the attention to detail and the richly drawn characters feel as if I am actually standing in that time and place. I've watched it a hundred times, and it never gets old.
Sorry, but...."The goal is to severe us from..."
Hahaha! Spell check is useless when the wrong word is spelled correctly. I'll fire the editor right away.
https://www.pccs.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/LostToolsOfLearning-DorothySayers.pdf
Fantastic link! Thank you for giving us this one.
Somewhere there is the requirements to pass 8th grade in the Kansas school system in the 1890's I think. I don't think todays college students could do it. It was from an article I read years ago, I can't remember where.
I didn't turn up a link to the original Salina Journal article, but it was reprinted in the New Republic in 2010 here: https://newrepublic.com/article/79470/1895-8th-grade-final-exam-i-couldnt-pass-it-could-you?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Those 8th graders would scare the bejeebus out of most college grads today.
Your screeds are always mind-stretching and this one extends the boundaries, your ‘education' was a feature of your home life and you’ve taken it around the world with you. However I quibble a minor scintilla regarding: If two people do not speak the same language, they can likely never transmit their thoughts to each other. We sponsored a Spanish exchange student through high school and invited her parents to her graduation - they were single-lingual. In spite of our inability to share a common tongue we were able to communicate through signs, emotions and other creative methods such that we all enjoyed our expressive successful attempts at communication. Uninhibited creative expression is connective.
You are absolutely correct. Great actors know that the body is its own language, and the eyes are indeed the windows of the soul. When I landed in Indonesia, I knew only how to say "thank you". With Spanish, there are at least common cultural and linguistic roots to work from, but with Indonesian, but for a few cognates, there is little in common with European languages. It took me years to fully grasp complex syntax and connotations. As a teacher, I can not teach the connotations of words. Those are experiential. It is one thing to say, "I'm hungry. Let's eat." It's quite another to convey, "Shall we dine al fresco at the sidewalk cafe?" As a side note, Javanese was the first foreign language I learned using another foreign language. That's a rather unusual experience.
As we are on ’special communicative terms’ I risk sharing my latest Subtack thoughts regarding our year-end musings, may it coincide in a way with your’s as well.
/Users/jacmiller/Desktop/Crreative Writings /The End.pdf
I will gladly read, and most likely thoroughly enjoy your thoughts, but the link is to your desktop file. I'm a pretty good hacker, but not that good. Send the file to luap.jkt (at) gmail (dot) com. That should reach me in short order.
This explains why it has always been a joy to read your thoughts.
It gives me great pleasure to know you enjoy my efforts, though it's a bit intimidating to think you are reading my thoughts. I will have to guard them better. :)
It’s all ancient history.
Better than Greek, I suppose. Having a history implies having a starting point, a pair of broad shoulders, as it were.
Welcome back!
This column isn't going to write itself. Little choice in the matter.
Bring back Warriner’s Grammar! We need to make crying over conjugating sentences great again.
Conjugating and declining in English is hardly an effort. Put Latin back in the schools. Make those kids memorize "illi illa illum" again! Torture them with irregular -are/-ere/-ire until they break! Force them to assimilate the Greek alphabet (alpha-beta). These kids today are soft!
Gotta start with diagramming sentences, get them used to some pain before you throw Latin at them. Have a heart!
Ha! Let's see them determine if a verb is transitive or intransitive from prepositional phrases. That'll learn 'em! Do they even diagram any more? In any case, it all started when they got rid of phonics. Hell, I see words like "traveller" spelled with one "l" in the New York Times, for crissake! Even spell check flags it right here on the Stack. What the hell is a "tra-VEE-ler" any way? Do these kids know the different between long and short vowels, and why words are spelled a certain way? Ugh! I give up! :)