Quote Originally Posted by jessmarimba View Post
I used to get in trouble in English class (or whatever it was called in elementary/junior high). We would read out loud and take turns going around the room, and the other kids read so slow - I would have a normal sized novel tucked inside my school literature book and try to hold it so the teacher couldn't see and I could read what I wanted at my own pace. But 8-year-olds aren't as sneaky as they think. I'm pretty sure now that the teacher always knew and only rarely scolded me.

I think as Oak was saying, the digitial use of the written word exposes gradients of literacy. Even for those who are very well-spoken, I notice lots of written errors that bookworms are less likely to make, such as the your/you're, they're/their/there, and (sorry to rehash) apostrophes to pluralize or even change verb tense ("she run's to the store"). Kids who read voraciously at younger ages seem to internalize those rules.
Even in an advanced English class in sixth grade, we had to read books out loud, and everyone was so slow. I'd read ahead, then get in trouble because I wasn't on the same page as everyone else. I think the teacher just assumed that I wasn't paying attention, and I wasn't self-confident enough to say "Actually, I finished the book" or something.
I definitely agree with internalizing rules of grammar (and spelling). I had those down in elementary school. Of course, now that I'm not reading so much, I've gotten much worse. How much of that is the lack of reading and how much is the lack of formal writing, I don't know.

Feel better!