I’ve always loved English, it was my favorite subject all through school and college and unlike math, reading and writing comes natural to me. Though I am not perfect with my own grammar and spelling, I am very sensitive to others’ mechanical errors. If something is mispronounced, I go insane. (I wait tables and no one seems to understand how to pronounce “salmon…”). I’ve always jumped at the opportunity to edit a classmate’s term paper, or to begin my own lengthy writing projects. I love having the opportunity to write my thoughts down or express myself, and I’ve always thought it a shame that not many students feel the same as I.
Aside from my own love of English, I think it is a valuable subject because it can teach so much about people, their history and their culture. Visual arts, performing arts and music all have a place in literature and the English language. Without the written word, there would be no historical accounts, no clear foundation for religion. There would be little progress in the world at all if humans did not record their past or publish their views for the future. I think that students have a bad idea about English as a subject, as it calls for the “boring” tasks of reading and writing. As teachers continue to use technology in the classrooms, however, I think that reading and writing will incorporate a variety of materials besides pen and paper. Students will blog rather than keep journals, and peer edit on wiki pages rather than in class. An English classroom can still teach the classics and incorporate new technology, and I think this is the way to keep students motivated with this subject.
There’s so much I look forward to in teaching English, I just hope that I can keep the subject as interesting to my classes as it is to me.
