Do kidz even learn proper English anymore?
In my pre-mom days, I worked as a newspaper copy editor. Part of my job was to ensure that the newspaper delivered to your door was free from any spelling, grammar, punctuation, style and/or usage errors; poor sentence construction; and inconsistencies.
Newspaper articles were supposed to be written for an audience with an 8th-grade reading level. Assuming, of course, that your average 8th grader knew how to spell (and define) common words or when to use a semicolon, and could differentiate (and appreciate) the nuances of a writer’s carefully chosen words. That was way back in the early ’90s, when print media’s only real competition was the nightly newscast and a handful of cable channels.
My concern is that today’s tech-savvy kids can simultaneously navigate the Web, text on their phones, play video games and listen to their iPods, but are completely oblivious to the rules of the English language. It’s not entirely their fault, though. What’s killing basic written English is that those adults who should be setting the example with proper spelling and usage either don’t care, want to act like they’re cool, or never bothered to learn it themselves:
Texting: Who needs to learn the difference between “to,” “two” and “too” when “2” does the job? Or “4,” for that matter. Personally, I H8 it!
Advertising and product names: Thankz, Bratz dollz. Girlz and boyz everywhere think adding “z” is how to make wordz plural.
The Generation X coolness factor: Our X-cellent, X-citing, X-treme obsession with trying to make words begin with “X.”
Spelling and grammar check: Why bother learning the rules when Bill Gates fixes your mistakes automatically?
Musicians: It’s bad enough that their song lyrics use poor grammar without the enclosed song sheet containing alternate spellings to every word.
Letting kids spell words FO-NET-ICK-LEE and not correcting them. Do kids even take spelling tests anymore? Or will we damage their self-esteem by telling them they did something wrong?
Lack of access to quality children’s books that contain proper grammar and spelling. Instead of reading a well-written book, many kids spend the majority of their non-school time plugged in to a medium that doesn’t contain the written word at all, or if it does, is often peer-produced and incorrect.
Because I want my children to learn and use proper English, the first half of our homeschool day is devoted to language arts: spelling, phonics, grammar, vocabulary, dictionary usage and writing skills. I want them to be able to read any book and understand it (or to at least consult a dictionary when they don’t comprehend a word). Knowing how to read and grasp what they’ve just read is the key to all other learning and a skill they will use for the rest of their lives.
Am I just an old-school fuddy-duddy who is fighting an uphill battle? Do you enforce proper grammar and spelling in your home?
Learn more about JoAnn
I totally agree. I am constantly making sure by children use and write correct grammar. I hate reading comment boards on articles where people do not know the difference between “to”, “two, and “too”; “their”, “there”, “they’re”; “your” and “you’re.” You get the point. Of course, let’s not forget the infamous “lie” and “lay” mix-up.
Schools today only to teach what is on the standarized tests to make sure they look good, not the students.
You make some really valid points. It is everywhere too and bears no prejudice-its color blind and crosses all economic levels. It’s also important to reread what you write to be sure what you wrote is grammatically correct. Solely relying on a first draft version and spellcheck will not solve all problems in writing.
I also agree! Our homeschool day is also largely devoted to Language Arts. I also think it’s so important to teach children how to write. We practice writing “thank-you” notes and am currently looking for a penpal for my children. We have lost the ability to read and write…on paper!
This is a great article full of the kind of things I rant about on a weekly basis. However, I am compelled by the subject of the article to point out that at the end of the first paragraph your use of semicolons is completely incorrect, unless there are AP style rules that I’m not aware of which allow it. Semicolons indicate independent clauses, i.e. phrases that could stand alone as sentences. I hope you will take this in the helpful spirit in which it was intended.
Hi, Will, great observation. Actually, the semicolon is correct. She’s listing items in a series, and because the first group of items is separated by commas, the rest of the series is separated by semicolons.
Oh wow. Masters in English and I never learned that one. Thanks for straightening me out.
Mar 24th, 2010 at 11:29 am
[...] Do kidz even learn proper English anymore? [...]
Apr 2nd, 2010 at 10:21 am
[...] Do kidz even learn proper English anymore? [...]