Comma vs semicolon

A comma links two independant clauses with a conjunction following the first independant clause. A semicolon links two independant clauses without a conjuction.
Independant clauses could be independant sentences. A semi colon is a comma PLUS a dot above. So you can remember to use it similarly to a comma, but it has a little more power, you don't need to use conjuction. The semi colon is used in cases where you prefer the reader to make the connection rather than the writer such as in humor.
Semicolon can also be used with a transition such as- in addition to, however, otherwise, and therefore. For more insights on the uses of commas and semicolons look here.

Roots of Debate in Education....

In Deorah Tannen's essay titled: The Roots of Debate in Education and the Hope of Dialogue the qualities and drawbacks of debate in the academic setting are examined. She starts off by criticizing the technique of classroom debate, showing that only a few are realy participating and that it is easy for teachers to set up. She then goes into a historical picture of how this technique became prevalent in an academic setting while pointing out that women have not had the advantage of it. The article ends up with a plethora of examples of how in a broader academic setting,such as in academic publishing, it is still the easy way for a few to get academic recognition and tenure.
I was suprised to learn that in Europe the debate or challenge is a compliment to the teacher and they welcome it. It reminds me of the cultural difference of saying Yes Sir or Yes Ma'am in the South as an accepted way of showing respect and is expected while here it is considered rude or sassy to call anyone Ma'am or Sir.
Tannen really argues her point to the very end, mostly against the debate, but the tone of how the cards are stacked against women in the arena of academic debate comes through her writing very strong. The debate issue is saturated with men vs women throughout her writing which I think has a strong case for women learn in a different way than men. She points out that males are more active as youngsters and thrive in a 'fighting to learn' environment. The "show and tell" example, while I couln't see the connection to debate, did seem to have a strong suggestion that females might learn better in a relational value based learning envirornment.
I believe that critical analysis is present in this essay. She does point out that in some cases the debate is a useful tool in learning and in teaching although much of the information in her essay I believe makes an unintended point.

Modifiers

A Modifier can describe something. Adjective modify nouns and pro nouns.
Adverbs modify verbs and usually end in ly.


According to this:


http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/modifiers.htm


"Modifiers are like teenagers, they fall in love with whatever they are next to. Make sure they're next to something they ought to modify."

That sounds like good advice, which actually might be just as useful as a parent, as it is in writing.

Rhetoric about Education

In John Taylor Gatto's essay Against School, the rhetoric devices of Logos, Ethos, and Pathos are employed. Gatto first sets up the logos with the authority to splatter his opinions all over you by saying he has taught for thirty years. However, by the end of his essay you have to wonder if he taught anything at all within the system he describes. He claims that he 'had to defy custom, and even bend the law' to help kids break out of the trap of boredom that our education system has set up for them, but he did not explain that claim. Instead he goes on about losing his job because of a medical leave, utilizing the logical fallacy of shifting the issue. Gatto describes our Education system's purpose in Ad Hominem fashion of extending childhood. Gatto also uses the logical fallacy of card stacking when describing the alternative of homeschooling with an especial affinity for that "Unschooling" method. His false analogy of the great minds developing in an unschooled world is very much a false analogy when you consider the great minds tht have developed in our public education system as well. He also failed to mention those disasters of unschooling experiements which are just seriously uneducated as well. Against School, begins by establishing authority by association to the school system, but the authority is non existant in regards to the homeschooling system. He mentions a few statistics without backing up their origin, such as two million happy homeschoolers. The hasty generalization fails to link happy with educated other than the handful of historical famous people who happened to find an education anyway, while the article does give dates about the beginnings of the 'school system's teeth' getting into the United States around 1905-1915, dates that do not correspond with the Unschooled great minds he refers to. The failure to recognize the great ones who have come above the school system leaves this rhetoric looking very empty and not very persuasive.
Conversely, in I Just Wanna Be Average by Mike Rose, The rhetoric is more powerful. He shows instead of telling his authority of his topic. Using the device of Pathos, carefully taking you through his own history he clearly shows the failure of the school system's testing methods, and balances with the unlikely and accidental built in recovery device in the compulsory school's ineffecient overworked, underpaid, seriously flawed educational system. His rhetoric is more effective because it is balanced between failure and success. Without coming right out and telling the reader, he makes a brilliant point that the system only has half a chance of success if there is a dedicated, passionate, committed, hard working human in the process. Education doesn't happen in a system, it happens in a person. While Gatto talks about "introducing students to competent adults," Rose does introduce you to a competent adult. When Gatto is telling you his theories about what would work and what doesn't, Rose is helping you create your own theory. Rose tells a success story while Gatto complains on and on.
Both of these versions of rhetoric seem to have a similar message, but the approach and effectiveness of each are very different. Gatto's "simple and glorious solution" to let them manage themselves, is the logical fallacy of begging the question. When it comes to Rose rhetoric at least I the reader came up with my own logical fallacy which is if there are only one in 30 teachers that are competent, then let all students have at least 30 teachers.

Idiot Nation

In the Essay Idiot Nation by Michael Moore I was surprised by his honesty of his personal experiences. Not only did he come right out and say he didn't care for school and didn't have great personal experience in school. His basic attitude about school was interesting, he seemed to be passionate about education system and yet unwilling to participate. From a young age, first grade, he wanted to buck the system. His advice about what kids can do to improve educational opportunities didn't have any real reform value. I am not sure how he expected his advice to make a difference. On the one hand he implores his reader to be more grateful to the teachers who are attempting to make a difference in this world at a very low paying job, and on the other hand he arrogantly describes his winning a school board president election and how he thanklessly fired a devoted educator. I wonder if Michael Moore's teachers had been paid more, would he have been able to get an education. An education that would have helped him become a decent president of the school board.
I also found his report of his school visits to be real interesting. He reports that he had seen janitorial closets being used as classrooms. He did fail to mention where he saw this happening or how wide spread it is. Many of the examples he gave of the shambles our educational system is in is not the average experience of the average American school. It does lead the reader to wonder if that stuff happens in a place that has an 18 year old school board president.
In contrast to Michael Moore assessment of schools in America, it isn't uncommon to hear people comment on how smart kids are now. Our next generation has many different kind of things to learn. The internet is better than a library and is in most schools and most homes. It is a preferred tool to books on many topics and I am sure there are educational funds directed toward computers now that used to be directed toward libraries before Nixon's time. Corporate America is a huge influence on our society and gets into the schools as much as it gets into our legislation.
The essay Idiot Nation is as interesting in style which actually speaks better than does the content.

Ain't

When I was very young, I remember my brother telling me "Ain't ain't a word and you ain't supposed to say it", however, I found out that it ain't true.

Ain't is a word. It is considered non standard or slang. I can have different meanings and be used in different was. Are not, is not, have not, has not, did not, do not..... Also considered a cousin to the words won't, shan't, don't and can't. I found some interesting information about this word (which is not considered grammatically correct in fancy places) here:

http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/Features/Columns/?article=ErrorsThatArent

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aint