Home By Marquel Twitter Literati

Twitter Literati

[embedyt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36L34Hf0_U4[/embedyt]Marquel, TPVs NYTimes Teaching Texting and Learning Section, was studying the Facebook guidelines, when he stopped and read  To Help Language Skills of Children, a Study Finds, Text Their Parents With Tips.   Preschoolers performed better on literacy tests when their parents received text messages with tips on how to help them, a study in San Francisco found. The tips weren’t random fortune cookie standards, like “You will make a friend today,” or even, “Much Money will come your way,” but, instead, filled with practical advice like, “wake up your children and hug them, then tell them you love them.” They also arrive much more frequently than your once or twice a week fortune cookie. These text arrive minute by minute, sometimes several in one minute.

For instance, the texts quoted above were followed less than two minutes later by,
“dress each child head to foot. Be sure to dress warmly for cold weather,”
and then a minute later by
“cook something hot for breakfast. Eggs, oatmeal, or muffins. No junk food for lunch!”
That was followed less than fifteen seconds later by,
“NO junk food for lunch! No chips, No candy, nothing fatty or greasy. ONLY fresh fruits like apples, grapes, oranges, or raisins.”
All of this seemed intrusive to Marquel, but he dismissed that as less important than good parenting skills for vulnerable kids. Marquel did wonder who was reading these texts carefully, and who was really following directions. And he didn’t see any of the literacy skills the article trumpeted.
Instead, the project seems to be child rearing through texting. Marquel went to the source and asked why they were dissembling.
“That’s easy,” said the researcher, “you can’t have literacy if you can’t speak and you can’t speak if you’re left home all day, unclothed, unfed, sick, and ignored.”
“So basically what you’re saying is that you can increase literacy by texting if you can also fix everything in a kid’s life by texting.” I objected.
“Well it seems pretty obvious that no kid is going to become more literate if we text him the word of the day.” He said
“But that’s what you’re statement said.” I retorted.
“Actually we can do that with white middle class kids.” He interjected.
“But white middle class kids are already highly literate. What do they need the word of the day for?” I asked.
“Actually their parents already give them ten words of the day. Those kids don’t have a moment off.” He said.
“So let me get this straight.  You can increase a kid’s literacy by texting to him. But the kids it works with are already literate and need new words
like the Koch brothers need more idiots to run for Congress. The kids it doesn’t work with are all the kids who need it but don’t even get breakfast, and don’t read that many texts. So why have you started sending these minute by minute texts directing parents how to raise their kids?” I asked.
He pulled out his phone, and said, “there’s one now. It goes several times a day, actually.”
“Let me see,” I said. I read it:
‘Remember, it’s A-S-K-E-D, not AXED!’
“Hmm, that’s useful information,” I said, “but hardly literacy. What’s the story?”
“The truth is,” he confessed, “we couldn’t get a grant to increase literacy of impoverished kids. Frankly nobody gives a damn. But our grant is technically to socialize through texting. All the foundations were crazy about that.”
“And what do you actually think of that?” I asked.
“Ah, they want to get things in the cheap. The idea of getting the underclass socialized through texting is absurd. But you can get middle class kids to learn a new word a day.”
“So what do you conclude?” I asked.
“You get what you pay for.” He said somberly.
 ***
BY MARQUEL: Twitter Literati 

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

7 COMMENTS

  2. that’s BS. No work. Too many idiots have too much money and they try to pretend they are doing something good.

  3. Marquel pointed out the truth. Bravo:

    “So let me get this straight. You can increase a kid’s literacy by texting to him. But the kids it works with are already literate and need new words

    like the Koch brothers need more idiots to run for Congress. The kids it doesn’t work with are all the kids who need it but don’t even get breakfast, and don’t read that many texts. So why have you started sending these minute by minute texts directing parents how to raise their kids?” I asked.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.