In visiting my twelve-year-old cousin and looking through some of his assignments, I found that he does not spell basic words very well, nor does he have very good grammar. Being that he is in sixth grade, I wondered why he was having so much difficulty with syntax. He replied that his teachers don’t teach him how to spell or use proper grammar anymore. This shocked me when I heard it but it seems to be the sad, cold truth.

Why does proper spelling and grammar seem to be a thing of the past now? It seems that teachers are focusing more on the content of their students’ papers, not necessarily how they are written. Handwriting also falls into this category. Even in high schools, there seems to be a trend of poor and unreadable handwriting, although most high school students are able to spell and use grammar somewhat properly. Are the basic concepts of writing simply becoming irrelevant? While the content of the paper may be more important and should be focused on more than the spelling and handwriting of the paper, these elements are also very important, especially later on in life. The ability to read and write will be more important than any paper a student writes in high school and should therefore be emphasized.

Texting and computers may also have played a huge part in the downfall of lessons in basic writing components. “Text talk” is not actually talking, although it does seem to be a key factor in most teenagers’ language. The shortening and deliberate misspelling of words characterizes this phenomenon that has only crept up in the 21^st century. Spell check is also a culprit when it comes to the lack of spelling ability. Typing an incorrect word in Microsoft Word is virtually impossible because of the spell check feature. While this is an excellent and useful tool, it should not be completely relied upon when writing a paper.

How can spelling be re-introduced to young students as an essential component in their writing? It simply needs to be emphasized and reassured that it is important, especially later on in life. For middle and high school students, typed assignments should be mostly, if not completely, abolished in favor of handwritten assignments with a portion of the grade based on penmanship and syntax.