Dear Editor,
Honored, shocked and mildly amused were the first words that
popped into my head when I read Cynthia Walter’s column.
Dear Editor,
Honored, shocked and mildly amused were the first words that popped into my head when I read Cynthia Walter’s column.
Honored, that she devoted an entire column, “Confessions of a Compulsive Reader and Grammar Critic,” to a letter I wrote several days earlier. Shocked, that she would take the time to critically scrutinize every word I wrote and concluded that Alan Johnson is a poor writer, lacks the ability to support his ideas and should leave writing to literate people. I said mildly amused because I have a confession to make. She was not the first person to criticize my grammar skills. I leave behind a long trail of disheartening, hardworking confused teachers. Thank you, Cynthia, for bring back some fond high school and college memories.
Cynthia made several bold statements, but one in particular probably blew the roof right off the high school gym. She said, “I hope Mr. Johnson is a basketball coach, not a teacher of critical reading and English composition.” That statement implies it’s okay to have poor grammar skills if you are a coach. I am a substitute teacher with notable skills, not a teacher of English composition and I could never be a basketball coach. I could never figure out the “X”, “O” system.
Alan L. Johnson, Gilroy
