tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post1290044530364812897..comments2024-03-27T01:07:03.944-04:00Comments on The Roses of Prose: Looking Ahead -- With Nostalgia by Betsy AshtonAlison Hendersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12725250883303287946noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-45118038459822865072018-08-27T14:47:41.527-04:002018-08-27T14:47:41.527-04:00I have one grandchild. She is being home schooled ...I have one grandchild. She is being home schooled for kindergarten and will start first grade next year. I can't wait to take her shopping for school clothes. It was always a big deal for me. AZ changed teaching standards last year, backing away from some of the common core guidelines. I was happy to read they are returning to phonics and cursive writing by 5th grade.Brenda Whitesidehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04162555468154752820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-39790096226757730952018-08-27T13:40:33.878-04:002018-08-27T13:40:33.878-04:00I recall how we knew a new marking period (six-wee...I recall how we knew a new marking period (six-weeks in length) had begun. When we walked into our classrooms, a new tablet and #2 pencil were neatly placed on our desktops. We also knew our report cards would be handed out the end of the day. Now parents can go online anytime and check in on how their student is doing. We also never started school until the day after Labor Day. What a nice post.Vonnie Davishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04636934830795471572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-56376386812786621562018-08-27T12:09:46.792-04:002018-08-27T12:09:46.792-04:00Fall has always been my favorite season for the sa...Fall has always been my favorite season for the same reason. My only child is now 32, so I'm pretty out of touch with the whole school experience these days. I hope it's still as exciting and energizing for some children as it was for me.Alison Hendersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12725250883303287946noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-12966731657510883342018-08-27T10:26:46.795-04:002018-08-27T10:26:46.795-04:00You're a girl after my own heart, Betsy. Bein...You're a girl after my own heart, Betsy. Being glued to screens all the time is really destroying conversation and family interaction. And I can't believe that some schools have stopped teaching cursive; is this generation doomed to a digital/electronic signature? Like you I loved autumn and the return to school and friends, the weight of books, and the pen and pencil selection. Poor kids don't know what they're missing.Andrea Downinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11553961600937196102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-43869378886824361872018-08-27T10:19:24.520-04:002018-08-27T10:19:24.520-04:00Love the promise of a new start...at anything! Bu...Love the promise of a new start...at anything! But for this Army brat, with 20+ home changes in my school years accompanied by 10 or so school changes, I don't know nostalgia. In fact, I can only remember a handful of teachers...there were so many! Quickly adjusting to new rules, kids and teachers was my focus. Woe to the introverts (like one of my brothers). But new notebooks, pencils, pens, rulers, and little snapped carriers of my utensils, always pleased me. And yes...the smell of a newly sharpened pencil. Yum!Rolynn Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09504770204968969467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-70770338658171525322018-08-27T10:11:43.963-04:002018-08-27T10:11:43.963-04:00What a lovely trip down memory lane. I, too, have ...What a lovely trip down memory lane. I, too, have very fond memories of going back to school. That season was always so full of possibilities and the pencils did smell so sweet. ;-) Great post, babe.Mackenzie Crownehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14495228596521457813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-8855721395387246912018-08-27T09:30:29.177-04:002018-08-27T09:30:29.177-04:00I'm feeling a little nostalgic as my girls go ...I'm feeling a little nostalgic as my girls go back to collage. Seems not so long ago they were starting grade school. My oldest also read at a high 3rd grade level going into kindergarten. But instead of discouraging her, her teacher set her up in a reading circle with older kids. Amazing that your teacher tried to squelch you! I learned cursive but never use it to write. The rare times I get a note or letter in cursive, it takes detective work to figure it out because the handwriting is so crappy. I'm not in the camp who thinks it's a necessary tool in today's society.Jannine Gallanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01047728297429025804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-72742347708256645672018-08-27T09:17:15.229-04:002018-08-27T09:17:15.229-04:00Well go Grandma, and you for 'bucking' tha...Well go Grandma, and you for 'bucking' that particular system. Teachers who are so proprietary don't do their students any service. Both my grandmothers, my mother, my uncle, my cousin and my niece were/are teachers, and my grandfather was a school superintendent. Somehow I never got the bug. What Leah said about the first day of school. New clothes, new school supplies. I always remember it was such an exciting time. Thanks for reminding us.Margo Hoornstrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00036077481652050799noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9023937099212820339.post-38611662211867140822018-08-27T05:26:28.115-04:002018-08-27T05:26:28.115-04:00You and I are of the same era, Betsy. I remember b...You and I are of the same era, Betsy. I remember being so excited for that first day, wearing brand-new clothes that were too warm for the still summery weather, seeing friends after the long summer break. I also learned phonics, and cursive writing, and how to diagram a sentence! (I think diagramming is the best tool to help teach about misplaced modifiers, but that's a different topic!) There's a lot of value in today's technology, but there's still a lot of value in the "legacy systems." Learning cursive isn't just for use in communicating; it helps develop fine motor skills. Luckily, reading (especially reading aloud) isn't dependent on one technology/system or another! I'm sure you're reading with your grandkids just as your wise grandma read to you. :-)Leah St. Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11004006100786260893noreply@blogger.com