Hi all,
I'm adding the link for the Harvard Business Review article that we didn't have time for yesterday in class. I urge you to read it with both a "critical literacy" sort of eye (What isn't the author considering? Whose perspective is not explored?), while also considering how we prepare our students for employers who have these perspectives.
(I also have to remind you that the author is really talking about orthographical conventions, not "grammar," at least from a linguist's standpoint.)
I'd love to hear your thoughts.
http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/07/i_wont_hire_people_who_use_poo.html
I read this article when it came out two weeks ago. Many of my former PR colleagues re-posted it on Facebook or Twitter. I think that the author makes a lot of valid points, and as someone who is the CEO of an online repair community, this is a huge concern for him and his employees. For certain industries and careers, specifically those that center around solid, uniform writing including but not limited to copywriting, reporting, editing - certain writing skills aren't just needed, they are mandatory.
ReplyDeleteBut not everyone works in those fields. I've seen financial write-ups that are cringe inducing, but within that industry, professionals aren't looking at the grammar usage or word construction. Instead they are more concerned with: what do the numbers say? While teachers certainly strive to teach proficiency in the English language, we must remember that not all students are going to become copy-writers.