Though texting has already been mentioned in this blog, it is a major pet peeve of mine and I felt it necessary to post on it again.
In the September 5th edition of the NCTE Inbox there was an article describing teachers feelings toward texting language as the text message nears its 15 year of existence. The following sentence about now retired teacher Ruth Maenpaa was the first to really convince me that this was the article I wanted to talk about.
“The first time Maenpaa flagged the use of "4" for "for" in an essay, the student said she was so used to text-messaging that she didn't even think about it.”
For a student to “not think” about homework enough to let things like that slip in is rather worrisome. Almost as worrisome as the fact that they don’t think when they talk to other people outside the classroom.
But the fault is that of both the students and the teachers. Teachers in this day and age need to recognize the possibility of something like that and warn students against it, not just tell them afterwards that they can’t use those abbreviations. Saying it in class would hopefully keep it in the forefront of the student’s mind while they are working on the homework. In fact, it may be necessary in some classrooms to teach for a whole class or two how to differentiate between when it is and is not appropriate to use texting language, and more importantly to pay attention to keeping these things separate. They also need to be taught that it is not just the abbreviations, but the sentence fragments and simple vocabulary that could get them into trouble in school and workplace scenarios.
Maenpaa also mentions her fear that texting and instant messaging will hurt “student’s intellectual endurance.” I know for a fact that her fear is realistic because I have seen it in myself. My conversation skills and my essay writing skills are both effected by the fact that most of my writing is quick instant messaging. I write in short, to the point sentences and am done. I did not so much notice this being a problem until I began instant messaging with my grandmother. When I type, it is a sentence or two at a time and then hitting enter. It may take a few entries to get out all of my idea, and there are more than likely typos, but it is fast. My grandmother, on the other hand, will often take up to 3 minutes to type out, reread, and then enter a post. She has typos much less frequently than I do, she uses much more proficient vocabulary and she often gets a point across much more clearly than I can. Again, this is something I think should be pointed out to students while they are in the classroom, before they are given an assignment. As younger and younger teachers take to the classrooms already having a vast knowledge of texting lingo I feel there is no excuse as to not teaching or at least mentioning to the students about the problems that could arise if they do not take the time to differentiate between the two forms of language.
And now that I’ve finished with that rant, I shall take a breath and end this post with one final bit of wisdom from Ruth Maepaa. A bit of wisdom that all of us can use not only as teachers in the future, but as students right now.
"Texting offers immediate gratification, but learning is hard work,"
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There's more of a problem when discussing Text Messages. Students have and will use texting to help each other on tests, students become constantly distracted, among other reasons why texting inhibits a students' learning.
I feel as though technology is changing our common language; creating more short-cuts, abbreviations, smilies :), and other notations. However, this adds more unnecessary weight onto us English teachers. As much as it should not be our job, we need to (by starting in early childhood education) MAKE SURE that students realize the difference between a quick message to their friend, and professional writing. I work during summer as an IT guy full-time, I use notations and instant-messaging to get jobs done. But when it comes to writing a professional letter to our equipment supplier, I click back into writing with a formal language. By helping these kids understand the necessary switch of informal and formal writing when they are young(when perhaps they are first acquainted with text-messaging and instant-messaging), we can decrease the problem.
We could not, and should not do it alone. It must be a responsibility on parents and other important role-models to assist our struggle to make the English language last.
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