I have not changed my position from my previous argument. I still firmly believe that youth will greatly benefit from learning the mechanics and proper use of English grammar, and I feel this way because as our youth grows and age they might become our countries leaders and if they have no access to English classes, they will suffer greatly. I believe there should be no limit on teaching fundamentals to today's youth, and the fact that they do have limited availability to grammar classes are leading our youth to grow up with a lack of knowledge on a topic that is so important. I have personally witnessed this lack of knowledge in my daily interaction with today's youth, and it shows the lack of resources available not only to today's students but also to today's teachers and school districts. While so many programs that are vital to today's youth development is cut, most times so are the grammar lessons. Teachers have no control over which programs the school board cuts funding for, but I do believe that English grammar should remain part of the learning regime. There are not many programs our youth benefit from anymore these days, and to see that grammar is something which is breezed through in schools while children are pushed through the ranks so they maintain their sports scholarships and social standings, is a complete shame. I believe today's youth should be pushed as hard as the students taking this course are, and I do feel that they would have massively improved test scores. Grammar scores on standardized tests have fallen in recent years and this shows lack of children receiving an all around education.
I feel that today's youth is missing out on an experience that they may not enjoy today but will help them out greatly in the long run. Children do not realize how important grammar is to conquer, it is not just the mastery of the English language as a whole, it also the mastery of speech itself in its very basic form. Many years ago, when children were immigrating by the masses grammar was singled out because teachers and parents felt alike in the fact that their children should learn not only the language spoke in their new country, but also all the nuances that go with it. Today those same parents are disregarding their own proper education and teaching their kids the improper use of language and mechanics which is leading to a breakdown of grammar among our youth and the chain of improper use will continue unless someone takes a stand and begins enforcing grammar classes in today's school and disciplines.
A writing sample is a small peek into the use of language and mechanics by our youth today and as they advance in grades and eventually into a college or university, it is startling to see how much grammar has been broken down from something so fundamental to something that is barely recognizable. Parents accept the grades their children receive in a class such as grammar and instead focus on other areas of academics, such as science and math. Yet grammar is so fundamental to youth development it is hard to sit back and watch it disintegrate into small shreds of indecency when combined with songwriting. Today's singers/songwriters continue to teach our youth the very essence of grammar that has been taken from its morally correct form and destroyed to sell an album, and when these children repeat this broken form they have no idea why they are being ridiculed for it. Youth need to be empowered to make informed choices and grammar is at the very heart of being informed enough to make an informed choice and decision that will affect the rest of their life. Reading is also something that is recently being reviewed and taken seriously as today's youth demonstrate an unimaginable lack of reading skills. Countless youth are forced to endure the painful ridicule and stress that accompanies a lack of reading skills. Today children have essentially a first grade reading level and are still being slipped through the cracks and passed through the grades to maintain their academic careers and scholarships with little regard to how much this will harm and eventually scar them on their journey. This is why I believe so strongly in the importance of English grammar being influenced properly on our youth.
