Not only do I wonder what brings people to this blog, I also wonder how others find the blogs to which they post comments. This musing comes about from a post I read this morning that I found after clicking on a link that had sent a reader here. I skimmed the postings and hit on one with the same subject (schools) and went off to read a nice essay about a frustrated high school student who is not doing well in school even though she is certainly smart enough to do better. Seeing that no one had posted a comment, I quickly dispatched a brief note about getting through school and going on to other pursuits with perhaps a hobby to showcase her creative side.
Later this afternoon I decided to check back on the blog to see if the young lady had other posts (she did not as this was her first); however, there were many comments made after mine; one from a movie production employee who took my writing to task. Because I had identified myself as a teacher, he threw me under the bus along with all that is wrong with the educational system. To be exact, he wrote, “this teacher’s writing is rife with grammatical errors: poor ellipsis use, terrible comma use, more condescending colloquialisms, run on sentences. I’d hold it up as an example of exactly what is wrong with the system.”
Whoa…after reading that (please note, more ellipsis), perhaps it is a good thing I am planning to leave teaching. I must be severely damaging my students. And here I thought I was helping them with their creative pursuits. I wonder, though, how did this movie maker find the girl’s original post? It seems a far stretch from what I would expect his usual haunts to be. For that matter, I find it hard to believe he would even have time to be out wandering in blogland. I sure don’t have as much time for that as I would like. I don’t even have as much time to write here as I have ideas for posts. So, dear Reader, my apologies for the poorly written posts you have been reading. I cannot promise they will get any better, though, but rather more run on sentences with condescending colloquialisms.
I know that you are determined to leave teaching, but I doubt that your students will be better served by your departure. I too have had a couple of trolls make these sort of comments on my blog. It is sad that people feel they need to attack teachers.
Don’t let it get to you personally. You know just how many students you have helped in their educational journey from childhood into the adult world. You know how many students have become better writers, designers and photographers because of you. Don’t allow someone who doesn’t even know you or your students to judge you because of a misplaced comma. Life is too short and our students need us too much, for us to be discouraged by people who have never walked in our shoes.
You are so kind…actually, I thought the whole thing funny. I had hoped my post here would have a bit of sarcastic bite to it! The comments were made elsewhere, not here on my own ground, so I’m not too riled up about it. Also, my students find my classes to be a release from the ones where they are constantly tested and measured. That is hard for a noneducator to fathom. Of course, I don’t understand movie making either!
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If I found your writing anything close to what that person described, I would have stopped reading you long ago.
I’m still here, so I think that speaks for itself.
Thank you for sticking with me.
I got here from Kathy G’s blog. I find it really interesting to hear about things from the perspective of a teacher who’s passionate about what she does. (Are movie production employees – or people who self-identify as such on the internet – known for their grammatical skills?)
My goodness gracious. Mr. Movie Maker seems a bit hung up and overblown, no ? DK, your tales from the classroom are absorbing, informative and fun reads. Your multimedia curriculum sounds to me to be progressive and engaging as you find new ways to teach useful communication skills— as essential to all aspects of life as oxygen……(oooops, poor use of ellipsis? well, kiss my grits.)
All bloggers have grammatical missteps, which for me often comes from writing on the go, with my fingers flying on the keyboard….Just keep on keeping on DK !