I’m actually an English teacher who just taught in one of these combined basic skills/Nursing Assistant courses in Washington. The article wasn’t very clear about this, but all of us teaching these courses are either ESL teachers or Adult Basic Ed. teachers. We specialize in teaching language and study skills for students whose goals are either academic or vocational. Most of my students are still learning English and have very little academic experience. I taught them how to use their textbooks, take multiple-choice tests, use effective reading strategies, write resumes and cover letters, survive job interviews, and communicate effectively with patients. I think it is important to note that the teachers who teach in this model are not doing this instead of teaching Shakespeare; this is actually what we specialize in.

It should be “but it is ( or it’s) the grammar police…”