MLA Deficit Disorder

I hate to disappoint everyone, but I don’t have any odd MLA rules to report. In fact, I didn’t know any rules about MLA until just a few years ago. I was taking Independent Study classes through BYU--busy moms do that when they can’t go to school in person. My Advanced College Writing teacher wanted me to use MLA formatting. He wisely included written specifications in the course manual I got from the UPS guy. I didn’t really know what MLA was. I figured my instructor was just a little picky. Still, I did well enough on the papers to earn an A in the class. Life was good, and I was happy.

Now I am a tutor, and I am expected to remember the rules of MLA. How am I supposed to remember what I never knew to start with? Oh, and I need to know APA style, too. I am creating a chart for myself that compares APA and MLA. I am throwing Chicago Style in with them for good measure. I want to understand why there are so many styles, and why their users want those specific rules followed. I want that information to cement itself into my brain so I can describe it clearly to my students. I still have some work ahead of me. (My birthday is next month. If any of you feel so inclined, I would love a good used copy of the official MLA “bible.” I would wait until Christmas, but I’m afraid they would change the rules again. Please don’t feel obligated.)

I was wondering what style would be appropriate for the different types of writing required in my life. Is there a style for Post-It notes? Do I have to cite references? For example, when I write a message to my teenagers, “Clean your room now, it looks like a pig sty,” do I have to cite my mother as the originator of the quote? What is the preferred style for emails to teachers in lieu of parent teacher conferences? Do I really have to use those horrible new spelling rules when I send a text message to my husband during his History of Mathematics class? “DH ur SO hot!” I usually just type in, “XOXOXO.” If there are any other styles out there that I need to know, please just leave me a note…properly cited, of course.

I guess you could say the strangest rule I have learned is that there are actual rules out there. There are people in the world who are picky enough to want to be able to understand each other’s writing. Then again, maybe the strangest rule I have learned is that the administration of my high school thought my classmates and I could be fully prepared for college without knowing or ever using the “discourse” of higher education. Maybe it wasn’t such a good thing that I tested out of BYU’s equivalent of English 1010.

I am glad I “have to” be in this class. The information is interesting, the teacher is tough but fair, and the company is wonderful! Besides, where else could I learn about Dr. Horrible? (My kids loved watching him take over the Emmys!)