Period: Reports of My Death…

Everyone seems to agree that technology has killed the period. (See here and here.) I think this is probably just a wee bit premature, but I get their point. (Get it? Point? [Rim shot.]) One of my colleagues and best friends, Jeremy, worried on Facebook that such claims could make like difficult for us educators if our students ever catch wind of them. I've not yet had such an encounter with a student, though I have had students who have complained that my expectations for their writing (e.g. "proper" grammar, no spelling errors, etc.) are excessive. Here is my teaching philosophy/advice to students on the matter: Master the standard rules first. Once you've proven you understand those, then you can break them. I'm reminded of something that a blogger I follow (and highly recommend) wrote recently:

There was so much about art I never considered. I was one of those people who looked at paintings and wondered how they got in museums when it looks like a kid could do it. I was wrong…. Of course, Van Gogh could paint a realistic looking animal. He chose not to. Duh. (link)

For the record, I've never had a student who has mastered grammar/punctuation. Hell, I'm not sure that I've mastered it