Socialize!  Find us here--->>
GANEPossible.com
  • Welcome!
    • #Write2TheEnd
    • Press / Media
    • GANE Possible Calendar
  • GANE Momentum
  • GANE Insight
    • GANE Insight Blog

GANE Insight: Kim Jorgensen Gane's Blog

I'm no longer directionally challenged--I have a clear vision to celebrate #MOREin2014 via GANEPossible.com. Preempting my novel in progress, Bluebirds, I'm very close to releasing my first GANE Possible publication (prescriptive "Dr. Mom" nonfiction), Beating the Statistics: A Mother's Quest to Reclaim Fertility, Halt Autism & Help Her Child Grow From Behavior Failure to Behavior Success. I'm also working on completing my memoir, My Grandfather's Table: Learning to Forgive Myself First.

It took a lifetime to get here. This blog documents my quest to self-fulfillment through my writing, and ultimately to shifting my focus to Beating the Statistics & My Grandfather's Table and speaking about them. They are the wellness and the memoir parts of my journey that had to be told, so that Bluebirds can one day be the meaningful, but fictional *story* it aspires to be.

Follow Kim on Facebook

The Degradation of Language in America is Nothing to LOL About

3/22/2012

4 Comments

 
And no, my spell check did not land on LOL.  Nope, not then either. 

I’ve gotten into the habit of perusing Facebook, Yahoo News and such places for writing inspiration each morning.  A very well written post from Sarah R. Callender’s blog, Inside-Out Underpants, caught my attention.  Myth talks about when to discuss The Birds and The Bees with your child, and points at the prevalence of “soft” pornographic images, namely breasts and bras, in popular media.  I have an almost nine-year-old son; good points.  “Points” I’ve covered his eyes or attempted to distract him from on more than one occasion.  And, another one of Callender’s excellent examples, we’re crazy if we think they didn’t catch the references to Weiner’s wiener all over the news.  It’s only one of an elementary aged boy’s top five favorite words.

Callender provides a link to the perfect example, a Victoria’s Secret commercial.  Even as I wonder where our probably very dusty copy of Where Did I Come From could be (Callender offers other worthy options, too), and beat myself up for the missed opportunities to speak to my son about such things, I’m distracted by the grammatical error in the first five seconds of the advertisement.  I watch it again to make sure.

Indeed, There’s 5 Ways, is quickly blazoned across the screen, while the caption below the video uses the proper grammar, “…there are 5 ways….”  Did Victoria’s ad agency really choose visual balance over proper grammar?   Did they merely shrug and accept the fact that it’s oh so wrong, or assume that their targeted demographic (frighteningly teens and twenty-somethings) wouldn’t catch it?  Have we grown so accustomed to the improper use of grammar in texting, Twitter, Facebook and other forms of short-hand communication, that we’re growing tolerant of such representations, and the fact that it’s insidiously infecting popular media? 

Nope, spell check didn’t catch “texting” either, when “sending a text” is probably more proper. 

I’m not going to pretend to know the exact grammar rules that once determined what is correct.  I don’t have a degree in journalism, communications or language arts or any degree at all, for that matter.  But my public school education prepared me well to communicate effectively into adulthood, from the time I was in early elementary school.  We learned cursive.  We wrote and we wrote some more, and the more writing we did, the better we learned grammar and punctuation, and the better our fine motor skills became. 

Here’s a shocker:  Cursive is no longer required curricula in many elementary schools.  Ahem.  If kids aren’t taught cursive, how will they learn to read cursive when Grandma sends them a card or writes them a check?  A simple Yahoo! search of “cursive no longer in curriculum,” revealed states like Indiana, Illinois and Hawaii are no longer teaching cursive.  And worse, on a national scale, this article in the Herald Review warns that at least 44 other states have adapted to such standards in response to the national standardized exam that is expected in 2014.  The article compares the future of cursive script to ancient hieroglyphics, which only a handful of archeologists can decipher.  When is the last time you met an archaeologist?  When is the last time you met a person who writes in cursive? 

Huh.  I tried curricula and curriculum in the first sentence of the last paragraph and spell check was no help with either.  I really must purchase an old fashioned dictionary.

One homeschooling mom I know here in San Diego isn’t teaching her kids keyboarding because, “the direction we’re headed is talk to type.”  She claims her kids won’t need it.   But if we are headed in that direction, they’d better learn first how to talk properly.  And guess what writing helps kids learn—language, speech, how to form ideas and get them across properly, methodically, rhythmically, in a way that is presentable and makes sense.  The very basis of everything they must do in school and out, from math to science to reading, to getting into college and later landing a job.  And as I’ve demonstrated throughout, spell check isn’t all that reliable, especially where usage and syntax is concerned.  And our kids are reading less, also essential in learning and developing language and communication skills, and playing more video games, which aren’t at all useful for much of any purpose other than entertaining your kid on a long car ride.  Say, from California to Michigan.

My mind can’t grasp the enormity that the immediate twenty years of technological growth might simply erase the prior five hundred.   Morse Code has been in use for more than 160 years, and is still being used by the military.  Why?  Because it’s reliable, it can be transmitted visually, using mirrors or lights, thereby keeping radio silence when necessary, and because if one day technology fails and survival of the fittest comes back into vogue, Morse Code and long hand may just keep you alive.   Yes, I’ve been reading The Hunger Games.  And I’m from Michigan; we’re prepared sorts.

And thanks to no child left behind, all this “progress” is government sanctioned.  Nay, soon to be government mandated, when IMO our children will be left oh so far behind.   By the way, nay is a fancy, old timey word that means no.  And IMO didn’t get flagged either.  Our kids are screwed.

Don’t even get me started on gym class and school lunches.

4 Comments
Anna
3/22/2012 01:00:02 pm

Ha. I had a daughter who relied entirely on spellcheck to get through high school...I didn't give it much credit then, nor do I now (although, I do like those programs that allow you to add your word to the dictionary). Knowing that a word is spelt (spelled?) wrong is useful, but being able to identify the correct word is way more important. I love that my sons' school is still teaching cursive, even though I overheard a rumor that it's future spot in the curriculm is still up for debate. I'm a Michigander too, so I think I'll keep testing myself with Reader's Digest Word Power...and thank my high school English teacher.

Reply
Kim Gane link
3/22/2012 03:39:57 pm

Oh, I've been thanking my English teachers an awful lot lately. And wishing ever I could go back and get credit for all the writing I've been doing recently. My son's teacher is teaching cursive this year, but not all the 3rd grade teachers in his school are, which clearly I think is unfortunate. When I have grandchildren someday, I bet they'll be teaching it again. Back in the 90s someone also had the bone-headed idea to stop teaching phonics and teach "whole language" instead. Thank goodness they've since come to their senses on that point.

Reply
Ren Baldwin
3/22/2012 02:34:51 pm

I really appreciate your thoughts. As one who spent many, many checking spelling and grammer, I totally agree with you. I spend a great deal of time texting and e-mailing, but I just can't bring myself to type in all lower case, or use the texting abbreviations, etc., etc., etc.
I sure you must have had some good teachers along your path.

Reply
Kim Gane link
3/22/2012 03:29:27 pm

You well know, MR. Baldwin, I very much did have WONderful teachers to guide me! You being one of my favorites! (O; As always, thank you for taking the time to read.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Write2TheEnd | 

    Kim Jorgensen Gane

    Author|Award-Winning Essayist|Freelance CommercialWriter|GANE
    Empowered Wellness Advocate, Facilitator, Speaker

    Kim is a freelance writer, living and working on Michigan’s sunset coast with her husband, youngest son, a standard poodle and a gecko. She’s been every-mom, raising two generations of kids over twenty-seven years. Kim writes on a variety of topics including parenting  through midlife crisis, infertility, health and wellness, personal empowerment, politics, and about anything else that interests her, including flash fiction and her novel in progress, Bluebirds.  Oh, and this happened!

    Kim was selected as a BlogHer '13 Voices of the Year Honoree in the Op Ed category for this post, an excerpt of which has been adapted for inclusion in the book, 51%: Women and the Future of Politics, to be released late 2014.  Visit her Wordpress About page to see her CV.
    View my profile on LinkedIn
    BlogHer '13 Voices of the Year Community Keynote Honoree
    Picture
    Creative Commons License
    This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
    Picture

    Subscribing is sexy, and may be fortuitous!

    Join our list!

    * indicates required
    Email Format

    Archives

    April 2015
    November 2014
    August 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    January 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012

    Featured on BlogHer.com

    Categories

    All
    2013
    2014
    911
    Abortion
    Add
    Adolescence
    Adoption
    Amanda Bynes
    Amtrak
    #AmtrakResidency
    #amwriting
    Amy Jo Burns
    Ann Imig
    A Novel
    Anthology
    Asperger's
    August Mclaughlin
    Author
    Autism
    Ava Chin
    #BacktoSchool
    Back To School
    Beauty Of A Woman Blog Fest
    Benton Harbor
    Bigotry
    Blended Families
    Blended Family
    Blogging
    Blogher
    #BlogHer13
    BlogHer '13
    Blog Hop
    Bluebirds
    Books
    Brain Health
    Breast Cancer
    Brownies
    Budget
    Bully
    Bullying
    Challenge
    Change
    Children
    Children With Disabilities
    Choice
    Choices
    Christmas
    Cinderland
    Costume
    Crackbook
    Ct
    Cyber Bullying
    Cyber Friends
    Dairy Free
    Destiny
    #DF
    Discrimination
    Disney
    Diy
    Dog Puke
    Dr. Lissa Rankin
    Eating Wildly
    E Books
    E-books
    Education
    Empowerment
    Empty Nest
    Endometriosis
    Enlightened Middle
    Exercise
    Facebook
    Face To Face
    Face-to-face
    Fall
    Family
    Fear
    Featured
    Feminism
    Fertility
    Festive
    Fifty Shades
    Flash Fiction
    Flash! Friday
    Friends
    Galit Breen
    Gane Possible
    Generation Fabulous
    #GF
    Girlfriends
    Giveaway
    #Giveaway
    Gluten Free
    Glutennazimom
    Google+
    Government
    Government Shut Down
    Grief
    Guy Kawasaki
    Halloween
    Handmade
    Haven
    Heal Healthcare Now
    Health
    Hepatitis B
    Hepb
    Hillary Clinton
    Holidays
    Holistic
    Homework
    Hope
    Humblebrag
    Humblebraggart
    Humblebragging
    Humor
    Immunization
    Income
    Infertility
    #Infertility
    Influencer
    #ItGetsBetter
    It Gets Better
    Jim Denney
    Judy Blume
    #JudyBlumeProject
    Judy Blume Project
    #JustWrite
    Just Write
    @KimGANEPossible
    Kim Jorgensen Gane
    Kim Singing
    #KindnessWins
    Language
    Laura Munson
    Lean In
    Life
    Lindsay Lohan
    Listen To Your Mother
    Local
    Low Cost
    #LTYM
    Math Facts
    Md
    Mental Health
    Michigan
    Midlife
    #MidlifeBlvd
    Midterm Elections
    Miley Cyrus
    Mind Over Medicine
    Mom
    Montana
    Mother
    Mothering
    Moving
    Nablopomo
    Newton Ct
    Obama
    Obamacare
    Online
    Oprah
    #OwnBossy
    Parenting
    Patty Chang Anker
    Pcos
    Peg Fitzpatrick
    Pinterest
    Platform
    Poem
    Poetry
    Politics
    Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
    Popular Media
    Poverty
    President
    Progress
    Puberty
    QueenLatifah.com
    Racism
    Rain
    Reading
    Reality Tv
    Recipe
    Reclaim Your Fertility
    Religion
    Reproductive Rights
    Retreat
    Review
    Ruth Curran
    #SABD13
    Sahm
    San Diego
    Santa
    School
    Self Discipline
    Self-Discipline
    Self Esteem
    Sex
    Sheryl Sandberg
    Simplifying
    #SingleMom
    Single Mom
    Single Parenting
    Social Media
    #SomeNerve
    Some Nerve
    Soup
    Southwest
    Southwest Michigan
    Spring Forward
    Stay At Home Moms
    #StepMom
    Step Parenting
    Step-parenting
    Submission
    Suicide
    #SuicidePrevention
    Suicide Prevention
    Support
    Tablet
    Tea Party
    Technology
    Thanksgiving
    The Bachelor
    The Book Thief
    The Hunger Games
    This Is Not The Story You Think It Is
    Thrift
    Timebenders
    Time Change
    Time Warp Tuesday
    Train
    Twitter
    Unexposed Talent
    Vaccination
    Vmas
    War On Women
    Waxing
    Whitefish
    Women
    Workshop
    #Write2TheEnd
    Writers
    Writers Workshop
    Writing

    RSS Feed

*GANEPossible.com is an anecdotal website and in no way intends to diagnose, treat, prevent or otherwise influence the medical decisions of its readers. I am not a doctor, I do not recommend going off prescribed medications without the advice and approval of a qualified practitioner, and I do not recommend changing your diet or your exercise routine without first consulting your doctor. These are merely my life experiences, and what has and hasn't worked for me and my family. You must be your own best medical advocate and that of your children, and seek to find the practitioner with whom you have the best rapport and in whose advice and care you can entrust your health and medical decisions.


Mailing Address:
420 Main Street, Suite A
St. Joseph, MI  49085
Please email to schedule a consultation,
Hours by appointment:
kjgane(@)ganepossible(.)com

I Blog with Integrity, please treat my content with integrity: Copyright © 2020, Kimberly Jorgensen Gane, This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License..