We explored how a group of 105 diverse middle-school students self-assessed their work as readers and writers during a summer enrichment program. Findings from the study revealed hauntings related to youth perceptions of language and literacy, evidence of a ghostly presence of standard language ideology. In the self-assessments, youth discussed speed and volume, in addition to surface features of language, more frequently than meaning-related aspects of literacy. These findings indicate the persistence of traditional definitions of literacy and thus the need for teaching that disrupts narrow understandings about the nature of reading, writing, and language.