Do you think that a high school student should know who there is school is named after?

[Anonymous]

I teach high school students after school. Two a day for five days a week. I have been doing this for twelve years so I have interacted with about 3000 kids during this time.

Almost all of them come from Churchill, Whitman, BCC, Wootton, Churchill, Richard Montgomery, and a few private schools.

I make it a habit to ask each student who their school is named after and what the person did in life.

There is one school where less than 1% were able to tell me.

Don't you think that there should be an effort in high school to teach students whose name is on the sign that they walk under each day?

[Anonymous]

If the namesake was a national or international (Churchill) "celebrity," then yes. If the school was named after a county commissioner from the 40's, well, then, not really.

[Anonymous]

I guess I can imagine the school spending 5 or 10 minutes explaining to the kids in the process of orientation, but most Freshman are pretty overwhelmed at that point. They're lucky if they walk away remembering their locker combination, and which hallway leads to math class. It wouldn't surprise me if they did explain those things, and most kids just forgot, not to mention kids who transition in after 9th grade.

Do I think that the curriculum should be changed so that students receive more lessons on Churchill at Churchill, and the Whitman kids get extra poetry? No.

[Anonymous]

Maybe, but then again I think a high school teacher should know proper English grammar.

It should be "Do you think a high school student should know who his (or her) school is named after?" Alternatively, "Do you think high school students should know who THEIR school is named after."

[Anonymous]

BCC?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe, but then again I think a high school teacher should know proper English grammar.

It should be "Do you think a high school student should know who his (or her) school is named after?" Alternatively, "Do you think high school students should know who THEIR school is named after."

Right? I judge your children, who can't explain who "there is school" is named after." [sic]

[Anonymous]

Nope. The focus today is on teaching kids how to be critical and creative thinkers and how to relate to others. These are the skills of the 21st century. Information about for whom a high school was named can be easily accessed in about 3 seconds--that's what Google is for.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Maybe, but then again I think a high school teacher should know proper English grammar.

It should be "Do you think a high school student should know who his (or her) school is named after?" Alternatively, "Do you think high school students should know who THEIR school is named after."

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If the namesake was a national or international (Churchill) "celebrity," then yes. If the school was named after a county commissioner from the 40's, well, then, not really.

So by your thinking students at Walter Johnson should not be expected to know who he was?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe, but then again I think a high school teacher should know proper English grammar.

It should be "Do you think a high school student should know who his (or her) school is named after?" Alternatively, "Do you think high school students should know who THEIR school is named after."

+1

+2 I cringed when I read the subject, cringed even more when you said you've been teaching kids for 12 years.

[Anonymous]

I feel to see how this is important.

Oh, and to the pps, you're also wrong. It should be "Do you think a high school student should know FOR WHOM his or her school is named?" or the alternative, "Do you think high school students should know FOR WHOM their school is named?"

Never end a sentence with a preposition. And the word "after" is both an idiom and a preposition in this context.

[Anonymous]

Or maybe ABOUT WHOM rather than FOR.

[Anonymous]

Notice how the "my shit doesn't stink crowd" has deflected the question to mocking the poster for use of grammar and spelling.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel to see how this is important.

Oh, and to the pps, you're also wrong. It should be "Do you think a high school student should know FOR WHOM his or her school is named?" or the alternative, "Do you think high school students should know FOR WHOM their school is named?"

Never end a sentence with a preposition. And the word "after" is both an idiom and a preposition in this context.

You "feel" to see how this is important? Talk about spelling!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel to see how this is important.

Oh, and to the pps, you're also wrong. It should be "Do you think a high school student should know FOR WHOM his or her school is named?" or the alternative, "Do you think high school students should know FOR WHOM their school is named?"

Never end a sentence with a preposition. And the word "after" is both an idiom and a preposition in this context.

You "feel" to see how this is important? Talk about spelling!

Ah, clever. Yes. Obviously a typo, which is a bit different than being grammar-impaired.