Academic stupidity, anyone?

This is a late reaction, I know, since I only found this out, I think it is well worth sharing. As I was surfing the nth time through the (crazy-lay-out and wait-till-kingdom-come-until-it's-updated) website of the Weekly Sillimanian, the official publication of Silliman University, I saw a familiar scene. To my dismay, still it's not updated! However, one thing I noticed on the left side: there is a link, a downloadable PDF that states 2008 issue volume 14. Just like a hungry animal, I clicked.

I thought it would be the latest issue. Heaven, I pray. Just so to orient myself, I cast my glance to the lower right corner of computer screen that says it's Saturday, July 5, 2008. After a couple of minutes of downloading, lo and behold, that PDF issue is dated March 5, 2008, and that's exactly five months ago. I was disappointed, though, I was still eager to read on the news. What caught my attention is a small portion from page 6 with a headline LETTER TO THE EDITOR From a concerned educator. Bewildered, I went on reading. It's actually an open letter that seeks to point out the "academic stupidity" in SU Elementary Department: that a English teacher requires his/her students to copy fairy tales, myths, bible stories, etc in cursive writing so as to instill discipline, improve penmanship, and to understand the difference between these types of stories. I thought to myself this is downright crazy, let alone SU School of Basic Education, is known in its holistic approach to educate the young minds or so I thought, and what is shocking is that the sender is no less than National Artist for Literature Dr. Edith L. Tiempo, a formidable icon in Philippine literature and an English teacher herself. Whatta.. Have a read for yourself:

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

For the Weekly Sillimanian:
Certain questionable concerns need our quick attention, and if they involve problems that affect the well-being of a group of people, they need even more immediate rectifying.
Our elementary school in Silliman presents such a problem. I am informed that the fourth grade pupils, in their class in English, are given an assignment that is not only very impracticable and improper for that grade level but absurd and an exercise in academic stupidity. In connection with seven types of stories—bible stories, biographies, fables,fairy tales, legends, myths, and parables—the pupils in their class in English are assigned to choose two selections for each of the seven story-types (a total of 14 stories) – and copy each of the 14 stories in their handwriting on clean sheets of bond paper without making a single error on every sheet. The idea of cursively copying 14 stories, to begin with, is bizarre and of no worthwhile use whatsoever. It seems that the justification for the weird assignment is 1) to improve penmanship, 2) teach them to follow instructions, and 3) to distinguish the differences in the seven story-types. Would simply copying 14 stories accomplish such an unfitting set of requirements?
I don’t mind declaring that, as National Artist Literature, and an English teacher myself, I am outragedand distressed by this assignment and expect that it be quickly rescinded in place of a more fitting one for the fourth grade level.

Edith L. Tiempo, Ph.D.,
National Artist for Literature
Director, Silliman University National Writers Workshop

This proves that in order to preserve excellence(just like freedom), the price of vigilance has to be paid.


You can read the entire tWS issue here.