SCHOOL FOR THOUGHT

Exactly Wrong

In Reeling and Writhing, we documented the disappointing results of "Balanced Literacy", the approach that most Ontario schools use to teach language arts. One of the principal failings of Balanced Literacy is its tolerance for imprecision. For example, Balanced Literacy teaches that it is acceptable for students to read "pony" instead of "horse", since the student has got the gist of the passage. Similarly, students are encouraged to believe that the content of their compositions is much more important than the spelling, punctuation, and grammar. It is obvious to most normal people that these beliefs are ridiculous. Even beyond the fact that reading "pony" instead of "horse" harms students' decoding skills, it is clearly better for children to access the author's nuanced meaning. And compositions that are riddled with errors are very difficult for readers to understand - yet the whole point of writing things down is to communicate them to others!

Fuzzy teaching approaches are troublesome in and of themselves since they harm students' academic achievement. But there are further implications in terms of the students' general attitude towards accuracy and precision. Even though sloppiness is acceptable in the early grades, the rules do change somewhere along the line. Children who are encouraged to think it's okay to be careless ultimately have a cruel awakening. Suddenly, they have to break the habits of a lifetime - or fail. 

As adults, most of us are well aware of the importance of high standards. We know that authors and musicians spend years polishing their work. We trust our lives to the professionalism of pilots and surgeons. We realize that computers won't obey our instructions if a single letter is wrong. Many parents see this problem clearly, knowing that it will be easier on their children in the long run if they are started off on the right foot, with an emphasis on accuracy and high standards from kindergarten on. It can be very hard to buck the trend, but there are some things that enlightened parents can do.

• Each year, try to pull strings to get your children placed in the classes of the most rigorous teachers at their school. They do exist!
• Whenever the opportunity arises, point out to your children how someone suffered because of a lack of precision - for example, the counterfeiters who got caught because they spelled the word "dollar" wrong.
• Inspect your children's homework every night and insist that it always be done to a high standard.
• Arrange for other people to emphasize the importance of accuracy, for example the accountant who does your taxes.
• Since it's unfair to expect children to achieve excellence without the necessary tools, ensure that they have a solid grasp of accurate spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
• Always model high standards yourself.