Red Pens For Everyone!

Yesterday I went out with a friend and complained to her about the newsletters and updates we get from school that inevitably have misspellings. A misplaced comma or an apostrophe that screams: I never learned to write but was lucky enough to get a job in the school system!

Then she shared that the principal at her school sends out letters with misspellings. The principal! (Remember it's spelled with an "al" because the principal is your "pal." Not a great writer, but your pal.)

This really makes me mad. Mad enough to send red pens out to every single parent(who can spell and who knows how to use proper grammar) so that they can wield them on school letters, notices and strep throat alerts and send them back ...to be corrected.

I'm not perfect,(as though I have to point this out; I have children who do that for me.) But serioulsy, isn't there someone on staff who can proofread? This is communication coming from school. I don't think I should be using notices from school for English curriculm at home.

"Honey, we just received a letter from school! Now find the mistakes and show me." (Rustle of paper, scratch of pen.) "Wow, so many this time, good work!"

I do hope things improve once all the red pens are distributed and the notices returned. I hope we can find money in the budget for third grade English books for the administrators and principals to use, for you know, English as a second language.

And I hope that our next generation learns to spell, write and communicate. I know it's difficult. We have a nation of kids who think it's okay to send their holiday thank you notes in a text message. Dude, thank u for t GC. I used it.

I can't wait to see the letters that come home with children 10 years from now. We'll have a school system made up of teachers who grew up texting.

Thrs ben a cse of Strep @ schl.
Word.
The Principle.

Maybe it's not that bad and I should concentrate on the really important things in life-- like feeding the poor, taking care of the elderly, and finding a cure for cancer in the Rain Forest.

Or finding jobs! There must be thousands of proofreaders out there who need jobs.

Now there's a job stimulus plan.