laura@utzoo.UUCP (Laura Creighton) (01/08/85)
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
honey@down.FUN (code 101) (01/10/85)
it's not too late, laura. you learn to spell by memorizing. remember: practice makes perfect! peter
rcd@opus.UUCP (Dick Dunn) (01/17/85)
> it's not too late, laura. you learn to spell by memorizing. > remember: practice makes perfect! > peter Hey, Peter, capitalization is even easier to learn than spelling! (But we digress...) -- Dick Dunn {hao,ucbvax,allegra}!nbires!rcd (303)444-5710 x3086 ...A friend of the devil is a friend of mine.
laura@utzoo.UUCP (Laura Creighton) (01/19/85)
Okay, peter, now tell me how to memorize....i never got the hang of that, either... Laura Creighton utzoo!laura