Importance of Grammar

The idea that I have been trying to get across to my kids over the past few years, as well as others is stated perfectly on page 49 of our Bedford book.
"If readers pause to notice misplaced commas or misspelling, they lose the thread of the paper for a moment and must reorient themselves to continue reading. In the process, the paper's content may become less compelling."

I could write the most intelligent thing in the world (no chance of THAT happening!) but if I misspell, screw up the grammar, or murder the punctuation, then no one else but me is going to know it. How we say it is as important as what we say. I know that this might not seem fair, especially to the students for whom grammar and spelling 'just isn't my thing', but it is a hard truth that is not going to change. So since we can't change the world, at least on this one thing, then we have to start changing ourselves. Stop whining and saying you can't do it and DO IT! (that was my mom voice).

Grammar is a jungle that few don't find themselves lost in once in a while. I once asked my aunt, a retired English teacher, if I really needed to understand EVERYTHING there was about grammar. She replied that the only ones that ever really need to know the minute and obscure facts about grammar where those who were teaching others about grammar. Wow! That can start hurting my head. The bottom line is that as overwhelming as it is, we all have to keep plugging away at it, no matter where we are in our understanding. And we will always have the opportunity to help those that understand less then we do, and there will always be those that know more than us to help us to understand more. That is what we do in communities. That is what we do in our community of writers here at BSU.