Category - Singapore

…while the school girls in this country are learning that mylonite is a breccieated metamorphic rock frequently found in a fault zone (to recycle a phrase), they are learning nothing about how to keep their future marriages intact.

Likewise, the little boys in this country are learning nothing about how to be better future husbands and fathers.

Kids also learn nothing about the importance of a positive outlook, especially how it affects other people. They don’t learn about setting goals, or managing risk, or discerning the difference between truth and lies in the media and in person.

— Scott Adams, Unlearned Skills.

What do you think? Does it hold true for Singapore?

I’ve been tossing these ideas around in my mind for awhile about the place of texting in school. Now that I have the opportunity to use chat rooms and discussion forums in my high school English classroom, the thoughts have skyrocketed! If I allow text-ling (sic) and lowercase proper nouns and smileys and unconventional punctuation, am I doing a disservice to my students?

— Ruth, Standard English vs. Texting.

This is something that most teachers of English/Linguistics grapple with most of the time.

The writer provides the answer and its justification somewhere in her post, so be sure to read it. In any case, it fits in with my own gut feeling about code-switching, and making students aware of the need and necessity to use appropriate forms of English at distinct moments e.g. writing a formal letter to request for employment versus ordering food at the canteen.