Education, non-statistical sampling

These two texts collided in my head a moment ago. Sense of them is yet to arrive. &c.
From my great-uncle Henry Spears text, The Practical Speller, 1890:

"If the contents of this book shall be the means of enabling young persons, especially stenographers and office clerks, to write more accurate English, its mission will be fulfilled."

My guess, Henry was not headed to university? Or he was? The publisher of the book is Draughon's Practical Business College, Co., Nashville, TN. "Especially Designed for Use in Commercial Education," where I currently work (but not for long!). The company also offers to teach by mail. Proprietary college, on-line education.

Anyway:

LESSON XIII

vol' a tile, capable of easily passing into aeriform state
pro trude', to stick out
tres' pass, to intrude; to violate a known rule of duty
ras' cal ly, meanly trickish, or dishonest
pol lyg' a my, a plurality of wives at the same time
pol y an' dry, a plurality of husbands at the same time
dis com mode', to put to inconvenience
cha grin', mortification, vexation
prov' en der, dry food for horses, etc.
scur' ril ous, using low and indecent language

These words perhaps indicate a certain mood.

A PARAGRAPH FROM A STUDENT ESSAY, 2006

"For a while my mom and dad were ok they had their ups and down but everything was ok for once. No fighting and no problems it felt so good. But me and my brothers got the great news that we were moving so no more going over to our friends house down the street or walking to the doughnut shop on Sunday mornings. We were moving and we were coming back. Once we got settled into our new house everything skyrocketed one by one the arguments started and they only escalated from there. The abuse started again but this time my mom had left aone and went to my aunts' house near by."

T'would seem that in the day, grammar was well taught and vagaries of English spelling were the sticking point. Perhaps? All due condolences and gladness were offered to the student for the endurance required of suffering such a man and that she and her mother are both still alive. So many are not. Nevermind that this gut-wrenching confession was not the assignment. --- What I'm wondering is this: Has the whole language/phonics approach to Language Arts created a class of barely literate, if clearly pretty bright, young people? The story is well told, the details often well-wrought, the factual tone taken spares the reader some pain, the priorities of a child are well captured, so forth.

ANOTHER PAPER, same class

"I want up to my grandmother and told her that I was hunger. In her lovely voice she said it's about time child, what do you want to eat? I said, some McDonald and she look at me like I lose my mind and wanted crazy. McDonald; oh no were going to get you some real food. She asked me have I every eat gumbo, no I said, what's that. Or do you want some Ox's tails and white beans with rice. I said ox's tails nasty you eat tails, she said oh Jesus, gumbo is what your going to be eating, I didn't want gumbo I want so McDonald but I did argue, I was hunger. She start to get to work. I watched her look a hawk, she could have tried to poison me, or thing. So I watched and it being to smell wonderful, I try to make small talk, They small good, she laugh and and asked, Do you know how to cook?... After that MY SUMMER WAS ALWSOME!"

Hang on, Class, there's a point to this. (Other than I clearly need to counsel with this student about the steps she needs to take in order become respectably literate because she is, really, quite a girl with lots of moxy and drive, just horribly disserved by her 'education' for which she should sue her school district for malpractice, and due to which my greedy 'school' should never have let her in just to juice a few extra grand of tuition out of her while she fails Writing 1 at least once, since each course costs about $1400, but that is not beside the point.)

Great-Uncle Henry did drills, likely in spelling and grammar, and was educated at a time when "teaching writing" still meant copying out work by good writers. Could, dare I ask, could such practice, combined with more "wholistic" approaches to teaching langauge/writing/reading be of some benefit? I think so.

Why? Because, Class, Writerstm keep commonplace books. We copy out fine sentences and passages -- for their form as much as content. This is a practice that might be well exercised by a student. Mastery of English? Rather trickey. Inconsistent mongrel language that it is (if sumptuously pliable).

Perhaps Facility with English could become a standard.

Bt JMHO u no? w/r/t lang n stf.