I c b w, but....

   'I could be wrong', but I think there is a revolution coming. Truth is, it may already be here. It won't be fought with guns or missiles, but instead it will be a war on words, or maybe more accurately, the lack of words. With texting, tweeting and instant messaging all the rage, there appears to be a new language on the horizon.

   With my new cell phone and grandchildren becoming teenagers, texting is slowly making its way into my world too and while it is fun to be in what could be considered regular contact with them if I were so inclined, they do need to study, when we do text back and forth, sometimes it is difficult to understand the messages they send me, widening the generation gap even more.There seems to be this entirely new way of expressing oneself and while once an English teacher, dedicated to proper spelling and good grammar, I have had to force myself to overlook the 'spelling' in order to understand what many now call the “new shorthand.” Over the years, we have always had our share of acronyms, but the computer age seems to have given birth to a whole new language.

   I think my first real exposure to this new language came when confronted with...OMG. But over time, I became comfortable enough to use OMG myself. But that was only the beginning. Just when I think I understand, there is an entirely new list of “NetLingo” for sharing and chatting. @TEOTD, I not sure I will ever catch up and be current. (at the end of the day.) 
   With some degree of seriousness, I am somewhat worried about the future and what we will be teaching the kids in school. For some, spelling and reading were always a challenge and I don't see their importance becoming less important, even with all the shortcuts. But, 404 what the curriculum will look like in 10 years. (404...'I haven't a clue'. Now how you get that at of 404, I don't know!)
      I am well aware there will be those who will A2D with me when it comes to the importance of learning to spell correctly and I will ACK they have a right to their own opinions, but 4COL, this could really get confusing over time. (Translation....I am well aware there will be those who will 'agree to disagree' with me when it comes to the importance of learning to spell correctly and I will 'acknowledge' they have a right to their own opinions, but 'for crying out loud', this could get confusing over time.)

   Each day new acronyms are added to the list and a quick search of the Internet reveals list after list. Some are quite simple to understand while others pose more of a challenge. For example: 2moro and 2nite are simple to understand. 1Daful is a bit more challenging and means 'wonderful'. If you are from away you may be considered a 4NR, a foreigner.

   Interested in a bit of Shakespeare? 2B-not2B. That is the ?. It really is possible to share a bit of Shakespeare and culture in a text message without much typing.Teachers...beware however! That tweeting sound in your classroom may not be the robins of springtime.

   I decided that in order to stay in the game, so to speak, I would study up on some of the more popular terms. IMHO, this was going to be a challenge. ('In my humble opinion') There was just TMI to absorb at one time. I guess I could always use flashcards. But here is a list of some of the more popular text terms: L8R, BRB. ILY, RBTL, BCNU, 9, and maybe the one most familiar to all, LOL  MHOTY if you know what any of these mean. You are more 'with it' than I am. ('My hats off to you')

   @TEOTD it's still OK to pick up the phone, dial a number to say “hello” and hear a teenage voice on the other end of the connection. ('at the end of the day') And about those spelling lists the teachers hand out on Monday for the test on Friday? Keep studying! You never know when the you might actually need to hand write a 'thank you' note to someone. Sometimes it's what we do 'in real life” (IRL)

   After reading this, I am sure you will think I am an ACORN. That's one you'll have to look up on your own! LOL.

STUDY GUIDE: L8R-later, BRB- be right back, ILY- I love you, RBTL- read between the lines, BCNU- be seeing you, 9- parent alert, LOL- laughing out loud