FOCUS, Wentworth:  Always remember to proofread and spellcheck

Editor’s note:  The following is an excerpt offered by S.C. Poet Laureate and Charleston Currents contributing editor Marjory Wentworth at the May 27 graduation for Palmetto Scholars Academy in North Charleston. We thought you’d enjoy it.

By Marjory Wentworth, special to Charleston Currents  |  I am a poet, so you might think I’m going to talk about the knowledge that poetry can bring to the world and the inherent joys of being a writer, but I am speaking to you today from a different platform – as a mother whose three sons finished college not that long ago and as a professor who has taught college for many years. I have learned and continue to learn a great deal from my students, and I want to share some of this hard-earned knowledge with you.

Wentworth

Since I am a writer, I teach writing classes, as well as literature and public speaking. My students have to write a lot of essays; you too will have to write many essays at college. So, the title of my speech today is, Always Remember to Proofread and Spellcheck. These words may be familiar to you, but what does this have to do with you as you head off to college? More than you might think.

I have a policy in all my classes — that I will not grade a paper that has not been spellchecked or proofread. If a student can’t bother with that, then they certainly haven’t put much effort into their work. I tell my students to proofread everything they write – even social media posts and emails.  Think about it – If you’re applying for a job or an internship and your email cover letter is filled with errors, what is the potential employer going to think?  They’re going to think that you are stupid or lazy or both. Either way, they are not going to hire you.

But I really want to talk to you today about the larger meaning of putting care into your work and how this approach will help you with everything else you do in college and beyond, because the more effort you put into it the more you will get out of the entire experience. If you give 100 percent then you will be at peace with yourself and your outcomes.  If, however, you don’t do your work and skip classes and stay out partying too much, you may find yourself with failing grades, you will have no one to blame but yourself.

Checking for spelling and grammar errors means that you assume you made some mistakes or that you missed something; it assumes that your paper isn’t perfect. Guess what, neither are you and that’s OK. Checking for errors means that you are being honest with yourself and taking responsibility for your actions. This requires a kind of mature self-awareness that many people lack. Keep that in mind when you do mess up, and believe me, you will mess up- Own your mistakes and rectify them when you can. Don’t blame others for your problems, unless you have been genuinely wronged. And when you can’t solve a problem – whether it’s something huge or small ASK FOR HELP.

Part of becoming an adult is realizing that it’s okay to ask for help. Your parents and teachers are there for you. We’re not psychic, so don’t assume that we know what’s going on with you.  Also, please don’t be too hard on yourself. Everyone is broken. Everyone is trying to figure it out.  You are not alone. You are never alone, and when you feel lonely reach out to someone you love. That’s why we have cell phones!

If there are things you want to change about yourself, now is the time.  You need a lot of energy to experience college in the most productive way, so take good care of yourselves. It’s a chance to create new habits – eat healthier, take up running or another sport, learn to mediate or take a yoga class. Learn to play an instrument.  Find something that has interested you, but something that wasn’t possible for you to do in high school. This is a chance for you to discover yourself and be the best that you can be. Before you know it, you’ll have jobs and families and very little opportunity to try new things; college is your time to figure out what YOU need to be successful and happy.

Your time at college is also a good time to figure out bigger problem-solving skills. Ask yourself, what is your moral compass? Things will happen to you that will test your beliefs. Sometimes people will let you down.  You might experience tragedy – through no fault of your own.  And you have to have some way to make sense of it. So, no matter what your background, I recommend that you have some sort of spiritual practice, some way of making sense of the world.  Be prepared. Take the time to make sure your soul is OK.

The subject of the soul is the poet’s territory, but life teaches you that if your heart and soul are damaged or your moral compass is off, you will suffer more than you need to.  Take care of it now.  This is a different kind of learning, but sometimes it’s the one most neglected yet it may be the most important.  Again, check yourself – take good care of yourself and the rest will follow.

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