No Need to Diss My Public School
11All reporters get letters from viewers. Some are nice. Some are mean. Others are helpful. Although we’re told not to take the nasty ones personally, I’d like to respond to this particular letter if only to defend the education students receive at public schools.
I’m not going to use this person’s name. But here is the entire letter:
“On the Sunday July 25 11:00 P.M. broadcast, you were talking about trees that may have come down from the storm and you said that trees “may have fell.” The proper English is “may have fallen.”
I found this part helpful, since I’m always working to improve my grammar. But the letter continues…
“I realize you probably went to public school in which many of the teachers speak improper English. My nieces, who attend public school, had to correct their teachers who spoke improper English. Their parents and their uncle made sure they spoke proper English. The girls are now grown and people with whom they work ask them to look at drafts of papers they wrote to ensure they used proper English. I’ve had the same experience where I work.
I suggest you refer to an English grammar book to increase your marketability. If you went to private school. your parents were robbed twice — taxes and tuition.”
I find this criticism horribly unfair to public schools and their teachers. I attended public school from kindergarten through college. It’s not their fault I made a mistake. Had I went to private school, I might have still made the mistake. But it’s mistake I can learn from.
I hope people that went to private schools don’t think people that went to public schools are beneath them. People that went to private school aren’t perfect. People that went to public schools aren’t stupid. It’s a stereotype that I hope others can overcome.
One of the reasons I got into journalism is because I find people fascinating. Some have wonderful grammar. Some play beautiful music. Others lend a helping hand no matter how dire the circumstances. But every single person makes mistakes.
The person that wrote this letter, sent it to the wrong address. ‘Nuff said.
I blame Journalism school. Grammar and accuracy be dammed to these people. Teaching reporters to write in the “active” tense, even if it is “incorrect” usage of English. The use of “pleaded” instead of “plead” when referring to how somebody enters their plea in court. As in, “the defendant pleaded innocent,” instead of “pled innocent.”
Which bring me to another problem with Journalism school. You cannot plea innocent in court. It’s guilty or not guilty (i know, there’s the “no contest” and it’s Latin version, which is the same as a guilty). I always want to strangle people when I hear, ” the defendant pleaded innocent to the charges.”. What is wrong with, “The defendant pled not guilty.”. I think we all know that when a reporter is outside a Courthouse, the action onside is over,
The critic’s comment about your grammar was too harsh and unnecessary….I agree with Lindsey no matter the school….. any one can make an error or slip of the tongue. The Grammatical Error was so minute….. the comment should not have been mentioned. Constructive Criticism is welcomed. Rudeness and Condescending Remarks dismissed. Good Manners, Respect and Etiquette promote civil discussions. The perfectionist/writer cannot even send the remark to the correct address…… Did you make an error? Dismissed.
Lindsey keep up the good work.
I prefer a reporter that states the facts, rather than a pack of lies for ratings.
Lindsey,
I have to agree with the person who said, “What a A-Hole!”
I imagine that person spends all of their days writing letters or sending e-mails correcting on-air reporters and publications.
I have never heard one reporter or network correspondent who has used perfect English and I have never read one daily publication that hasn’t had a spelling or grammatical error.
I sometimes field calls from viewers who believe that on-air people are supposed to be perfect and never make a mistake.
These are the kind of people who need to lock themselves away in their own little private, perfect country and never come in contact with anyone else who does not come up to their standards, which means they would live a very lonely life.
Please, take what’s helpful from the letter and discard the rest and never give it a second thought. You have a long career a head of you and I’m sure you have not read the worst.
Keep doing what you do because you are very good at it and NEVER LET AN A-HOLE GET YOU DOWN.
Hi Lindsey. My teachers always said, “Know when to turn it on, and when to turn it off”. It’s not a public/private issue. It’s a communications issue. Because of what you do, your errors will ALWAYS stick out like a sore thumb, and cause attentive/ anal people to jump. Many people are intently listening to you and others in the media. There is a rhythm and flow in the voice of a news person that is violently interrupted when an error in speech or grammar is made. Oh sure. It’s acceptable if the error is made by a gardener, plumber, stand-up comedian, or gas station mechanic, but not a preacher, teacher, or commentator. When YOU make an error, IT becomes the story, as opposed to the incident about which you were reporting. The opinion is that you’re supposed to know better because you’re PAID to talk, not to entertain or casually chat. As unwilling as you may be to accept the title, you’re a role model.
As bizarre as English can be– as contradictory and confusing as it’s rules are, if one has made it all the way through school and has not mastered the basics of one’s own native language, the fault lies in many places– and teachers and parents have to bear a part of it. I don’t totally agree with the tone of the letter, but as I listen to the speech of court television plaintiffs and defendants, talk show guests, athletes, conference panelists, elected officials, and young people who attend private OR public school, I must confess, I wonder sometimes what’s going on in English classrooms nationwide. The practice of publicly putting one’s best foot forward occasionally gives way to just sharing the information. The climate of “Keeping it real” has caused many to keep it stupid.
I taught at a public school for 16 years. Children learn what they live. If what they live, in word or deed, is chronically incorrect, and is then repeated daily at school, how will they ever learn unless they are self-motivated? The proof of what is or is not being emphasized in school is in the performance of the student once away from school. When one knows better, one hopefully, does better. Often the emphasis is on whether or not one has made his or her point, and the detail of whether subjects and verbs agree is a minor one.
I remember when my teachers would recommend that we listen to radio and television news reporters in order to perfect our speech and grammar. The assumption was that greater attention was paid to presenting “The King’s English”. I attended public and parochial schools and I don’t recall having the nerve to correct ANY teacher of mine…lol… Schools can only be as effective as they are allowed to be. We all could have probably learned a lot more had our teachers at any point along our educational journey not had to deal with all kinds of intrusions–social, financial, disciplinary, theoretical– that hindered their ability to teach.
We all make mistakes. The difference is whether or not we’re aware of them, and know how to make the necessary corrections. ALL schools in America should aim to graduate students who have mastered language, no matter what field of work the students eventually pursue.
One thing is sure. You will never forget the rules for “fell” and “fallen”, “had gone” or “had went”…lol…The letter you received reminded you why you became a journalist. For that reason alone, it was sent to the right address. Keep your chin up. Keep shining your light…: )
Wow, what an a-hole. I’ve seen. Bunch of your tv reports, you are fantastic. I’d love to see this person try to do a live tv report with zero mistakes and perfect grammar. Some people are unbelievable.
By “the author” I obviously mean the letter writer.
Had I went to private school,
You’re just baiting us here, aren’t you?
But here the author clearly does not have much to feel accomplished about, and having attended a private school several decades ago is the best she can cling to.
You need to realize that this author is an “agenda baiter:” which means that s/he found a very, very trivial issue to nitpick and used that to express his/her agenda which may be totally unrelated to the context of your reporting. The last sentence of the letter seemed to seal the deal for me with a mention of robbery and taxes. The letter-writer exists in a subset of folks who fall into a category where it is somehow deemed permissible to criticize those in the public eye simply because they have more of a public presence.
As for “marketability:” you’ve gone through a journey which has brought you to one of the top news markets in the country. I think you’re probably doing just fine.
girl you are a good one…I just today realized that I lack the shut the bleep up gene; and this letter is most def calls for it to be let loose. This is my response to whomever: Who in the world are you to correct me on one grammatical SLIP. If you spoke proper english you’d live in England. You should have taught your niece to respect her elders instead of correcting them. Also dont hate because I chose to spend YOUR tax dollars on MY EDUCATION as of late its working out fine for me. So HATE ON HATERRRRR. HOLLA
PS
PLEASE BE SURE TO CATCH ME AT MY NEXT LIVE BROADCAST ….SMOOCHIES….
Wow, what a jerk.
I guess his/her private school education didn’t include etiquette lessons.
By the by, I’m a product of both the public and private educational systems (and was a certified teacher once upon a time)… My experiences in public school settings were much more positive and productive – both academically and socially.