Any time we can show students the application of what we’re learning in class, that’s one more time students can see that school and “real world” are actually the same thing. Yeah, pounding the kids over the head with that info is no good, but let them see it as often as we can. Far too many students see school as completely unrelated to their lives.

On my windshield last year, I found a business card with terrible spelling and grammar (“Fon,” “U’r,” and “Best Price Check Around” among them). I turned it into an overhead that I show to my students before I hand back an essay. I make reference back to that card all year. They observe that the card makes the business look ghetto, unprofessional, that he doesn’t know what he’s talking about, that if he can’t proofread, how can he drive a limo (the card’s for a limo company)? Handing back their papers, they are dismayed when they understand the connection, but I think it works to prove the point. A little justification never hurt.