Sir, - The two views on teachers' pay, published cheek by jowl, (The Irish Times, October 24th), made interesting reading. As one would expect from the general secretary of the INTO, Joe O'Toole's article was breathlessly rhapsodic in its eulogy of the professionalism of teachers. But does one expect anything less from professional people?
On the other hand, Gemma Hussey gave a more balanced and reasonable approach to the question of a 30 per cent salary increase demand by teachers, and the possibility of a quid pro quo. She cogently enumerated the gaps in the arguments, that have to be filled in. What struck me most was her question: "Do teachers not have even a tiny bit of responsibility for Ireland's woeful literacy rate?"
We are all acutely made aware, particularly when exam results come out, of the appalling state of our national language, but it is English language, spelling and grammar that are murdered daily - in newspapers, on TV posters, billboards, brochures, public announcements, in shops, supermarkets, in conversation. I do not include here the "I done", "I seen", and "I should have went" that are long part and parcel of our endearing and piquant rural parlance, and will never seemingly be eradicated. I have given up on the proper use of "presently", now almost always used in place of "at present", even by the best of people. The possessive adjective "its" is fast becoming a lost cause too, having acquired an apostrophe fastened on to it like a Siamese twin. Even on the RTE1 News for the Deaf, on Saturday, October 21st, there it was writ large, on the screen: "Egypt censured Israel for it's belligerent attitude."
Now if that august body commits such a grammatical gaffe, what hope is there for the rest of us?
Again, the number of supposedly educated people who say or write "the amount of people" is alarming, and as for the apostrophe now practically everywhere before a final s, it's like an epidemic. In it goes, usually in shops and restaurants where "tea's and "sandwiche's" are on offer, and the price of "shoe's, T shirt's and tight's" is slashed. Recently I spied, on a huge sign in a provincial town protesting against the building of high-rise flats, the legend that the residents did not want "CONJESTION AND NOISE" in their area. And no one batted an eyelid.
So, what is happening in schools today? Is there any grammar taught? Do children learn how to spell, or is dictation still on the curriculum? Perhaps such things are now considered hopelessly old-fashioned and out of date, like the three Rs, but they had their place.
In my schooldays - admittedly I go back a long time - we were taught parsing and analysis in depth, even in primary school, which stood us in good stead for learning Latin, French and other European languages later.
In view of today's deplorable literacy, perhaps Joe O'Toole would be good enough to enlighten us on the importance given to spelling and grammar on the school curricula he so lauded in his impassioned plea for more money for teachers. - Yours, etc.,
Vera Hughes, Moate, Co Westmeath.