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From: laura@utzoo.UUCP (Laura Creighton)
Newsgroups: net.cse,net.college
Subject: Re: English as taught to high school students who are interested in science
Message-ID: <4884@utzoo.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 8-Jan-85 11:46:35 EST
Article-I.D.: utzoo.4884
Posted: Tue Jan  8 11:46:35 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 8-Jan-85 11:46:35 EST
References: <738@ames.UUCP>, <70@mot.UUCP>
Organization: U of Toronto Zoology
Lines: 31

I don't know whether this is universal or not, but in elementary and
high schools in the Toronto area there is a fair amount of hostility
between the ``artsies'' and the ``nurds''. This hostility is at
least maintained, and perhaps even instilled by the english and
history teachers.

Perhaps they have good cause. I remember that I thought the whole
purpose of history class was to give me  a quiet time to do math
homework in....but I think that the problem is more fundamental
than this. I remember years and years of english teachers who were
teaching book after book whose basic plot was ``nature is good,
technology is evil'' and ``man is evil, the universe is unfathomable''
and ``creativity is an essentially irrational process, therefore
all pursuits of reason are inhuman and/or futile''. 

I am fortunate in that I discovered books long before I discovered
the school system, because if I thought that what was taught as
``english literature'' deserved the title I am sure that I would
hate and loathe all ``english'' classes to this day.

The other thing that I recall is a lot of corporal punishment in the
aid of getting me to learn how to spell. This didn't work. I still
have no idea how people learn how to spell things. I have problems
remembering a seven digit telephone number for as long as it takes
me to dial it -- so some days it just fascinates me that I can
learn anything at all! Saying ``teach people how to spell'' is all
very well indeed -- but I am *still* wondering *how* I was supposed
to master this skill.

Laura Creighton
utzoo!laura