It’s something almost all teenagers do, and it’s starting to affect their high school careers.

In the world of texting, nobody actually spells out full words—that’s just the way it is.  And now students and teachers everywhere are starting to notice writing and grammar mistakes made as a result of texting.

According to a study done by Nielsen Company, teenagers sent and received an average of 2,272 text messages per month in the fourth quarter of 2008, and that number has steadily increased since then.  All of this texting has led to writing mistakes made on student emails and important writing assignments.

“I don’t notice it as much in formal essay writing as I do in the daily journal writing that we do in class,” English teacher Lisa Renz said. “I do, however, notice it in emails from students, and other faculty and staff members have also mentioned the lack of punctuation, capitalization, and use of abbreviations in students’ emails.”

Many students do find themselves accidentally making mistakes.

“I always catch myself accidentally putting in the texting form of a word instead of the real word,” freshman Royanna Carbajal said.  “It’s just kind of a natural thing since I text so much.”

While many students have similar problems, others never make these mistakes.

“I don’t have a phone, therefore I don’t text and I never make those mistakes,” freshman Brittney Dannels said.

Some teachers feel that by making these careless errors, students may show a lack of respect.

“I think that students need to be aware of whom their audience is for different pieces of writing,” Renz said. “For example, I think students should spell out words, use punctuation and capitalize when emailing teachers, administrators, or adults in general. I think it shows a respect for that audience, and faculty and staff notice these things.”

Students might not realize it, but these mistakes could have an effect on their high school career by altering their grades.  Some teachers take points off every time they catch one of these mistakes, but others don’t.

“I do take off points; students need to understand that there is a time and place for text jargon, but not in the classroom or in email to faculty or staff,” Renz said.