Second-graders at Buffalo, New York’s Elmwood Franklin School took a break from practicing addition and learning about George Washington last week and jumped into an unusual spelling and grammar lesson: correcting NFL players’ typo-filled tweets.
San Francisco 49ers cornerback Chris Culliver, who also made headlines this week with an anti-gay remark, attracted the students’ attention by writing on Twitter that “I pray to God I’m never dieing broke” [sic].
A fan tweeted back: “Ask him for spellcheck while you’re at it.”
The kids, however, fixed the mistake and proudly held up their corrected posterboard for a Facebook photo.
Ask him for spellcheck while you’re at it. RT @cullyinthehouse I pray to God I’m never dieing broke
— Aaron Kellerstrass (@TheBukShow) January 30, 2013
The students “applied their lessons in proper sentence structure, noun and verb usage, spelling, and punctuation to correct the tweets of professional football players,” the school’s official Facebook page said. “The students partnered in groups and together found several mistakes in these tweets, including the incorrect spelling of ‘a lot.'” They found that mistake in a tweet from Detroit Lions wide receiver Titus Young.
It’s true I could be alot better, But wit the football — Titus D Young Sr (@TitusDYoungSr) January 22, 2013
New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker provided the classroom’s third lesson, Deadspin reported: how to spell the word “may.”
Merry Christmas to everyone. My God bless you all! — Wes Welker (@WesWelker) December 25, 2012
The three NFL brainiacs hold college degrees from the University of South Carolina, Boise State University and Texas Tech, respectively.
NFL players’ tweets are fertile ground for grade school grammar and spelling lessons, including those playing on both sides of Super Bowl XLVII. The San Francisco 49ers:
When people say life isn’t hard I just ask myself what are they comparing it too?? — AJ Jenkins (@17AJJenkins) December 24, 2012
Goodmorning World…past ready…Undastatement!!! — Anthony Dixon (@Boobie24Dixon) February 2, 2013
Asparagus make your piss smell horrible.:(
— Bam Davis (@AnthonyDavis76) January 31, 2013
Had a great time at the Oline dinner.. 20 year tradition in the making glad that I could be apart of it!!
— Bruce Miller (@BruceMill49er) December 29, 2012
And the Baltimore Ravens:
If you real you don’t say it because if you real we gone feel it #wale #Ambition
— Courtney Upshaw (@334Upshaw41) January 31, 2013
Souround yourself with positive people! Advise from a young buck!
— Christian Thompson (@C_33_T) December 25, 2012
@big_tah47 bra u can do pull-ups wit ya chin ol muscle head a**
— Bernard Pierce (@BPierce_30) January 25, 2013
Why must everythin be difficult?
— Damien Berry (@DJBerry20) January 25, 2013