The Elements of Style

What a wonderful little book! The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. I purchased it yesterday, and I am currently half-way through. I am now much more aware of my grammar. I learned the definition of a gerund. Everybody should have a copy of this book.

The reason I purchased a grammar book is that I am taking a standardized test on Saturday. I'm taking the Communication & Literacy section of the MTEL (Massachusetts Test for Education Licensure). It shouldn't be too hard, but standardized tests are a sort of game for me. I like to see just how high I can score, even though I know it doesn't truly measure my knowledge. It's not easy to become a teacher in Massachusetts. I have to take two more standardized tests in the Spring. People actually fail these things. I think that's great. We trust our children with these people. They better be modeling proper language skills and know how to add a few numbers.

My little Strunk book is near and dear to me because it reminds me of one of my greatest English teachers, Ms. Sandler. Ms. Sandler was a beacon of sunshine in my life. She made me love vocabulary, and commas, and Toni Morrison. She was my proctor when I took the SATs and my score rose 230 points that day. She stopped teaching when she had her first child. I hope she decides to go back to Nyack High School some day.