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impoverished own these newer, more appealing distractions: cell phones, MP3s, myspace accounts, satellite TV, et al.

Today's youth, more than ever, have plenty of access to gadgets and devices that require a great deal of thinking-fun thinking.

Children are more sophisticated and more technologically advanced in their distractions, and they are enjoying the challenges of this high tech world at the expense of traditional reading and writing in classrooms.

Today's youth are so entrenched in the conveniences of modern society, they don't realize-and frankly, in some cases, don't care-what basic necessities and tools of reading and writing a mature mind must have when the college courses and job demands arrive.

Being able to manipulate the features on a cell phone, to text whole messages in strange penny-saving abbreviations, and to download pirated music and videos off the Internet-all of these skills requiring higher-level thinking give our youth the false impression that their lives after high school graduation will be easy enough and plenty manageable.

Analyzing literary fiction and nonfiction passages of text and composing coherent, grammatically correct pieces of writing will not be achieved through text-messaging or CD ripping and burning. Although, many of my students over the last couple of years have striven earnestly to do so!

In other words, students are thinking of other, more fun, things to do with their brains. Rather than learning to read effectively to the point of analyzing text successfully, students are reading MySpace blogs and cellular text messages that are clearly superficial and in no need of profound analysis. Rather than developing a keen eye for good grammar and correct spelling (in addition to well-crafted sentences and phrases of clearly-expressed thoughts), students are commenting nonsensically-spelled blurbs on those blogs and replying in equally-cryptic text abbreviations.

To think clearly and effectively, one must read analytically and accurately. One must write his or her thoughts with a solid command of vocabulary, sentencing, and organizing content.

Good reading and effective writing habits require both clear thinking and lots of time-consuming practice-neither of which cyber-speeding students stop long enough from their entertaining entrapments to accomplish.

If the reading isn't immediately interesting, if answers to the questions at the end of the story require analysis of the text, if writing assignments demand lengths that are greater in volume than a typical web log, then the average student quits. Hers or his thoughts wander back to the fun phones, videos, and personal web pages.

Perfectly capable students are failing standardized tests and writing prompts.

Through 16 years of teaching reading and writing, I am quite convinced that thinking is reading is writing is thinking. Reading is the writing of someone's thoughts; writing is the putting of one's thoughts on paper. Therefore, reading and writing are extensions of thinking. If a student can't read, then he has trouble thinking. If a student can't write, then she, too, has trouble thinking.

When a student sees that his or her thinking is a direct link between any reading and any writing he or she does, that student wakes up.

In two weeks, I get to start the linking of the three again. I can't wait!

When you get a chance, commend those teachers who can't wait to teach. Also, maybe pray for those who dread the onslaught because not all English teachers maintain their insanity for teaching and love for learning.

Learn more about this author, James Tigerlobo White.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

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