Grammar! Usage! Punctuation! Oh my! Teaching the scary stuff!

At the risk of beating the proverbial dead horse, I feel compelled to once again make a desperate plug for ALL TEACHERS, no matter what subject or grade level, to please, please, please teach students the fundamentals of language use. OK, why do I choose this particular forum to do that? Because new teachers need to understand that no matter what the philosophically-oriented professors you had in your education courses at college said, teaching grammar, spelling, punctuation and all that good stuff is extremely important.

Elementary teachers can do their part by insisting on capital letters and end marks in the early grades and gradually adding a comma use here and there. Middle and secondary students need to take a hard line on errors in usage and punctuation. Why? Because we look completely foolish if we pump out graduates who cannot correctly use a comma. I know that theories about teaching spelling vacillate, but when did we decide that it wasn't important? Check out a few blogs anywhere on the internet to see what a problem this is.

We also need to dispense with the ridiculous idea that only English teachers are responsible for this type of education. Every teacher should make it a point to enforce good writing practices in students. If a science teacher claims that "punctuation doesn't matter," then his students will think that technically sound writing is only important to his English teacher. "I am not going to be an English major," he says, "so I don't have to worry with this." Some teachers of other disciplines may feel that their skills are rusty. Trust me as an English teacher myself (OK, so the bias is showing) - any English teacher will help you out by reviewing a rule with you or giving you a copy of a handbook. Hey, you probably have a dusty one at home from college!

Cheryl Pontius, a journalist, editor and professor of journalism reiterates the missive "You teachers in high school - please start making sure students learn grammar and basic writing. I usually spend half a semester teaching my beginning journalism students how to write correctly and spell!" Being good writers for all of life's writing situations (and they number far greater than the students think!) is the responsibility of all educators.

New teachers - do not accept poor writing. No matter what your subject or level, you can add to your students' writing repertoire. It helps everyone.