Can you tell me what was wrong with this sentence? If you can’t, the school might have a small problem. 

Boulder High does not teach grammar. In our rigorous 4 year curriculum of study there are no set guidelines for teaching grammar. Why is this a problem?

Grammar is elitist. In normal everyday conversational English proper grammar is unnecessary: take a look at slang English, slang does not conform to proper grammar but if you understand it the language is no less precise or clear. Thus, the notion that proper grammar is necessary for clarity or understanding is at best a shaky argument. Another explanation is that it’s a method for rich white dudes to identify other rich white dudes who have had the privilege of an expensive education. For example, why does the exclamation “it is I” make any more sense than the incorrect “ it is me” other than to prove that you have been taught how use proper grammar? This being said, grammar especially in writing, does have the power to change the meaning of the words. A favorite example of middle school English teachers is the the sentence; Let’s eat Grandma. Versus Let’s eat, Grandma. The former promotes cannibalism and the latter is a call for a lovely family meal. Grammar cannot be thrown out entirely. At least for writing there must be a set of rules to follow, but I would argue that small diversions from “correct” should not be a strike against ones intelligence. As a sophomore who wished to remain anonymous put it “I don’t think proper grammar shows intelligence or lack thereof. That isn’t to say it doesn’t matter.” 

Here lies the issue that Boulder High must address: grammar is an inflated measure of intelligence in the American school system. According to the Princeton Review, about 12-15 of 54 questions in the English Section of the SAT directly tests grammar. About 25% of your English score rests on how well you know proper grammar. According to the ACT itself from ACT.org 52-55% of your English score. These are significant percentages and have real bearing on what a student can do regarding future education. In a poll sent out to Boulder High students of 42 replies 13 (30.2%) of the students said that thus far in their Highschool career they had received a good grammar education from Boulder High. 25.6% said they had received a bad grammar education 44% said something in between. To give credit where it’s due these marks are significantly higher than what I expected based on my own experiences, however it does point to inconsistencies in the teaching of the subject within the school. In our community, the only students who can be confident about the quality of their education in grammar are those who can devote time, energy, and money into private tutoring. In essence grammar is pay to win and because of its skewed importance in college admission it helps to keep the prestigious schools in the hands of the wealthy. 

Grammar has its important uses, but in most practical cases it is less than necessary. To prove my point I asked my editor to not edit this piece for grammar. I also did not edit through a checker such as Grammarly, though I did run it through to see how I did (very poorly). So I ask you to reflect, did you notice any of the plentiful errors in my work? Did it affect any comprehension or enjoyment of the read? Then I ask you to question how important grammar really is…

Two things should be done to even the playing field: On a national level, standardized testing should include less grammar questions in the current academic environment. It is poorly taught, thus the subject is barely understood. However, that is not the student’s fault, and it has no bearing on their intellectual ability. Second, if a subject is to be universally tested, it must be universally taught. On a local level, we have the power to make this happen. I can only hope that with time we can rectify such discrepancies, and help kids get recognised for how hard they work, not however privileged they may be.