Originally posted by clickclick I wish it was a case of a poorly written test, but I don't believe that was the issue. It was pretty pitiful. If I can find the article, I'll post a link. It was some years back though, so don't hold your breath.
Kid
I ain't got no shoes for gym class today.
Teacher
Where is your grammar?
Kid
Out behind the woodshed plucking chickens.
When poor sentence structure becomes a hinderance to communication then it's an issue. However, using archaic and not commonly used phrases and forms of speech is also a hindrance to communication. The only question for me is not some arbitrary standard of english use, but how well they get their point across to the kids.
I once had a buddy, a math teacher who bragged about cheating in university because he was too dumb to get through, used every common phrase and totally abused the english language, yet exit tests showed his students to be a full 10 grade points (in first year university) better than the formal english speaking MA math teacher who went on to work for the ministry as a curriculum writer. The ability to enforce archaic language forms is vastly over-rated.
I don't know in what warped universe the way you express yourself is more important then your effectiveness in expressing yourself, but the education system has to be one of the few where you can be rewarded for having a pickle up your ass about points of language that don't effect the ability to communicate.