2sday.

The title of today's entry is in honor of all those texters (txt-ers?), several of whom are my students. Text-abbreviations litter student writing like dead cicadas on the 17th year. My favorite (and by that I mean my least favorite) is ppl, which I am given to understand means people.

As I mentioned yesterday, I am now teaching two classes each day. After teaching first period, Mrs. Manning and I debriefed a bit during planning period the following hour. She let me know that only about 1/4 of the class had participated, and that I needed to work on including all students in instruction. So, that's what I worked during 6th period, equipped with one of Mrs. Manning's tools: Mr. Muffles Worthington. He's a bow-wearing bear whose fur isn't all that distinguishable from shag carpet. While reviewing or leading the class in discussion, the hapless bear is tossed from person to person answering questions. Admittedly, it's a bit hokey. But then again, so am I. And since I was a kid, I have taken every opportunity and excuse possible that would let me throw something. So, I figured I'd try it.

All in all, the method seemed to work. Every student gave at least one response. And as a whole, every was able to apply the knowledge I was trying help them grasp: that verbs perform two basic jobs -- express the action of a noun, and express a link between a noun and a word that describes it.

Unfortunately, most students struggle in the area of grammar; I believe the difficulty they encounter arises from being taught incorrectly, sparingly, not at all, and having little if any support at home. Many if not most of my freshmen do not know what subjects and verbs are nor how to identify them in a sentence. I have been so troubled by this deficiency that I started asking around, and from what I have been told, elementary schools in our county spend little time on the actual mechanics of literacy -- that instead they briefly touch on grammar issues as they read and write. It's easy for some to condemn teachers and school systems, but according to my research, the most influential factor in emergent literacy is parental involvement between birth and age 4.

All that considered, teaching grammar is a serious and daunting task. Yet, it's one of my favorite topics to teach. I want so badly to teach my students everything I know -- to just open my mind and pour everything I know into theirs. Quickly I am reminded of Charlotte Mason who teaches that a child is not an empty sac to be filled; rather, a child is a spiritual organism who takes time to grow, and who must be fed in a healthy way. I am trying feed them knowledge at an appropriate pace. Specifically, in regards to verbs, I am starting with definition and taking time to examine how those definitions illuminate the meanings of real sentences. We'll see what happens.

All my life I was given what I believe to be excellent grammar training. It started with my own mother at home, and it continued when I entered a traditional school in seventh grade. And so I was always quite good at using grammar correctly and identifying mistakes; however, I did not begin to come to a holistic understanding (confession: when I got to this point in writing Tuesday night, I was suddenly overcome with violently intense stomach issues that had me up and down all night, writhing in my bed and on the floor the first half of Wednesday, in the doctor's office in the afternoon, and was summarily sent to the hospital for tests. The doctor initially suspected salmonella poisoning, but the tests came back clear. Now it's Thursday and though I was in school today, my body ached, and I'm pretty sure I'm running a low fever. And I've lost about 8 lbs. I will now attempt to finish my train of thought.) of grammar until I was a college junior and having to tutor on a weekly or sometimes daily basis; furthermore, it wasn't until I began teaching ESL over two years ago that several other important pieces of the grammar puzzle fell into place.

That said, it's unrealistic for me to hope to be able to teach my students all there is to know about grammar. Instead, it is my goal to help lay a foundational and working understanding of grammar, grounded in examples illuminated by definitions. Honestly, I expect a decent amount of failure on my part. It will take time, patience, and openness to truth. But slow and steady wins the race, what?