I never said she stole my money.
This sentence has over seven different meanings depending on the stressed word.
The many reasons for taking English seem obvious. For one, we speak English. As this fact fuels the argument to make English classes a requirement, it also hinders it. Many students believe that because we speak English, we are omniscient in the language and could not possibly learn much more.
“People probably think that because they’ve been speaking English and writing it all their lives, they don’t have to keep studying it,” senior Jamie Lankford said.
The fault behind this philosophy is that there actually is so much to learn. There are rules and there are forbidden phrases and there are confusing structures and punctuation. There are confusing names for the rules and forbidden phrases and structures and punctuation. There are exceptions to the rules and forbidden phrases and structures and punctuation.
“Just like you have to practice to get good at a musical instrument,” AP English Language teacher John Bottiglieri said, “you also have to practice to get good at reading.”
Bottiglieri believes that English is the class that will help you the most with all of your other classes because most other classes require reading of some sort.
“Throughout any student’s life,” Bottiglieri said, “they are going to be reading for a variety of purposes and although some kids might not think so, they will also be writing for a variety of purposes, and I think that [English] classes help with both of those skills.”
Students have been reading and writing throughout most of their educational careers, yet many still struggle with the skills. It is hard for students to explain and organize what they are thinking on a piece of paper, and the best way to get better at those skills is to practice them.
In order to become a better reader, one has to read and write. In order to become a better writer, one has to write and read. The skills come hand in hand, and the more you do both of them, the better you’ll get at both.
As students read, they become familiar with different styles of writing and start to learn rules and ways to write that they may not have known before, and as they read they probably don’t even realize that they’re sharpening their skills.
This applies to writing as well. The more students write, the better they become at it. The more essays they write thoroughly and read through, the more students will learn about their own style and how they like to write, as well as what works for certain topics and for their style and what doesn’t.
The time teachers put into grading essays and reading quizzes also plays a major part in both writing and reading skills of students. The feedback they give students can help set them on the right track for what they’re shooting for. They will correct students’ language in their writing, and scores on your reading quizzes will tell students whether or not they’re reading thoroughly enough.
Some students do not actually do the work that’s required for the class and try to take shortcuts by using outlets like Spark Notes and Cliff’s Notes. This might work for a little while and they might get away with it, but it is not helping them, it is just holding them back. Most of the books teachers assign students to read are classics that will be referenced often throughout students’ lives; by not actually reading the books, not only are the students not really learning anything English related, but they also aren’t getting properly cultured.
In order to stress this idea to his AP English Language classes last year, Bottiglieri told them that if they were going to take those shortcuts throughout high school, they might as well get an imaginary diploma at the end of their senior year. He said that if students did imaginary work and just slid on by without doing the actual assignment, they should not get an actual diploma. This hit many students pretty hard because they realized something at that moment: he was right.
To put it bluntly, English is necessary because it is used in almost any situation, whether it’s a resume, a letter home from college or even just verbal communication. Too many people use it incorrectly.
“If you leave school and you don’t know a thing about math or science, you can get through your life and nobody will even know,” senior Jenna Caragiulo said, “But if you don’t know a thing about reading or writing or speaking, then it’ll be hard to communicate and be successful.”
By Celina Wlodarski