Chatspeak IS destroying English!

Oh, how I long for the days of yore, when people wrote with quills and a jar of ink. Eloquent letters using perfect diction, grammar and spelling were the norm. Okay, so that was even before my time... but there is something to be said for the written word abilities of yesteryear. As it is, writing skills seem to have deteriorated for many modern students, and I fear that "chatspeak" is only worsening that occurrence. I worry that the shortcuts kids use might further hinder their writing capabilities in the classroom. 

Obviously the English language is near and dear to my heart. I hate to think of it becoming obsolete for some people who never fully appreciate its splendor. I may be biased, though: I am a person who literally CANNOT write "thru." I insist on writing out the entire word because I dislike abbreviations and made-up words. Yes, I am slightly crazy when it comes to grammar. But I just have an appreciation for it, and I want to instill that value into my students. As Linda Howard states in her argument, "Good writing skills are essential as high school students go on to college in traditional settings or online, and they will need to fully express their opinions and expound on subject matter in a way that compels them to think and engage with others on a deeper level."

After reading the article, I wonder if students can alternate/jump between their chatspeak habits and their correct, articulate writing skills needed for class. I worry that their former will take over, and that the latter will get weaker and weaker. I hope I am being overly cynical, but I do have concerns that the writing shortcuts will come back to bit the students. For my part, I plan to encourage my students to keep working on their writing and to learn to love the language as much as I do!