Patterns, tricks, precision, and the influence of testing

So often in my classroom I wish I had a little hand-held device to record my language arts tips because they come into my mind as a lesson progresses and I rarely have the opportunity to write them down. There are strong patterns in grammar; when one understands the pattern, finding the correct answer becomes much easier. Additionally, there is often a trick to help one remember what to do and how to approach grammar. The students who can continue to see the pattern and apply the trick will find classwork easier in the future. I also make a point about the precision of grammar. Just as math is precise, there is a process to follow, and only one correct answer, the same holds true for grammar. For some reason, students seem to think that grammar is negotiable. I tell them that a poem or piece of literature may be open to interpretation, but the structure of a sentence and grammatical correctness usually are not. I also address how the emphasis on standardized testing (at least in my region of the country) has made for what I view as some wrong thinking in regard to the amount of time spent on grammar. The "logic" seems to be that if there are not a lot of questions about grammar then very little teaching time should be spent on it. While it's true that older students may not frequently be asked questions in regard to a specific part of speech, they are tested extensively about correctness, but what many powers that be fail to realize is that a student will not be able to recognize correctness if he or she doesn't understand the grammatical foundation which leads to the answer. Grammar is essential. Not teaching it is counterproductive. The same applies to spelling. My goodness, I know of some school districts which don't teach spelling at all, and stop by middle school, because of the logic that few test questions trump the importance in a child's future. As painful as it is for some to admit, judgements are formed about an individual's level of education, intelligence, etc., if he or she speaks and/or writes poorly. I would like to encourage all language arts teachers to do their best to prepare our students for their futures. I know we experience various levels of control and limitations on what and how we teach, but I also acknowledge that every caring educator in our schools does his or her very best for students to the best of his or her ability. Whether you've started already, will tomorrow, or begin after the Labor Day holiday, I wish the very best of luck to my colleagues across this great nation as we embark on the 2012-2013 school year.