The Great Grammar Debate: Part 2 - Grammar Basics Must Be Musts

By Ruthie Robbins, Chief Learning Officer, WisdomK12

When I went to elementary school, it was often referred to as “grammar school.” I never wrote an essay until college, but we spent time every day on the conventions of the English language. We identified gerunds, infinitives, and participial phrases and could diagram any sentence in the English language by sixth grade. We were not expected to become writers, but rather people who communicated properly, whatever their occupation. Or we just wrote lovely letters (in which starting a sentence with “Or” would have been frowned upon).

Although it may sound old-fashioned, I believe that a solid foundation in grammar will be the difference maker in today’s students’ careers. Today writing is taught, but de-emphasizing grammar has left a generation of students who are too often confused about what should be capitalized or whether the punctuation goes inside or outside of the quotation marks. Between texting and reading unedited comments on the Internet, students probably see as much written incorrectly as correctly. How confusing it must be when it comes time to write properly!

Grammar blunders can be status-marking. One grammar error can eliminate an applicant from a job or a college. People infer one’s intelligence from their grammar—characters who are depicted as stupid or poor in movies and TV use improper grammar. I had a crush on a boy who wrote me a note and said he wanted to take me out as soon as he got his license. Even at an early age, I lost interest. People are judged by their grammar.

When students are writing, I urge them to stop and ask or look something up if they are not sure about the grammar. This is why: pathways in the brain that are used frequently form networks that result in habits. A person’s “smartness” is about brain connectivity from learning, not just about one’s genes. “Letting grammar go” when drafting and guessing at grammar rules is interfering with the networks that contain information. It’s reinforcing errors.

For the past three years, I taught many of the same middle school students in different subjects. Most of them have gotten cell phones since I first taught them, and their grammar has devolved rapidly. “Text speak” u’s and b/c’s creep into their formal writing, and capitalization is out the window. Even with the threat of losing points, many have developed such strong habits from texting that they no longer recognize their own errors.

Here's my stance: Most of the grammar anyone needs daily is covered in only nine pages of a “Grammar to Go” reference I use with students. Only nine easy-to-understand pages. (Intentional fragment for emphasis.) It’s one of the only skills that every person uses each day, and grammar basics are relatively easy to understand compared to many other subjects students master, such as coding, advanced math, or chemistry. Let’s hold students accountable for their sakes. Keep grammar in the forefront.

In upcoming articles in this debate, I’ll share ways to mesh grammar instruction with writing and even reading. These methods rarely require worksheets or isolated drills; they involve thinking.

Stay tuned for the next installment of "The Great Grammar Debate," where Michael and I will engage in a constructive discussion to find a balanced method that incorporates the best of both worlds. Together, we’ll strive to improve writing education and empower our students to become confident and skilled writers.