My Problem with American English Class

I wrote this for my Creative Writing Class. This is a rough draft.

My days of school have consisted of more than half note taking.

When my parents asked what I had done during my time in class, nothing was an acceptable answer. Plagiarism is only taught but not applied when I only learn to do exactly as others did. I was told I was intelligent enough to be anything I wanted because I had the grades and the test scores to prove it. What I had was dedication and passion to succeed. Elements that are involved in intelligence for the future, but I did not have anything else. I could recite what I had learned. I didn’t find myself questioning the validity of the subject until I was much older.

I can never write for assignments in the classroom to my full potential. My pages are filled with more empty spaces because the ideas I am constructing have already been laid out for me to just fill in the details. The story will be graded on how many sentences I write but not on how I crossed out almost every word to replace it with two just to fill in another point to my grade. My ideas can not be measured because they are judged on how I reconstruct what I have been told to do in the exact way I have been told to. The topics I am given are bland as are the stories we are to read in the classroom. I enjoy reading more than any other activity, but I have seldom read a book assigned by my English teacher. This is not because I will not read outside my genre. I read anything from fiction to disease to an English textbook. My reading level is as high as anyone else who consumes words as if they were food, but I still find myself struggling to grasp reading material given to me by my reading teacher. It is not a reading level problem but a language gap. The word choices used in the old texts we are given to read are not comprehensible at first read. That takes away one of the best things about reading, immersion. If I have to pull myself out of a story to understand the ‘lingo’ from the 1800s, I am not enjoying the story. English class has been ruined for me due to the lack of creativity. I can say this is the reason because I love English and languages. I have many English books I have purchased myself because I love, love, love English. I hope I have given enough evidence to how a subject that is close to me can be disinteresting when individual creativity is taken away.

This is all just my opinion. I do not believe schooling has a negative effect on anything. I also understand the need for memorization in some areas. What I am saying is what I believe for myself personally. I did not include any other subjects because this is already too long, and I can provide the most evidence with English because it is a subject I am close to. My argument is based on my opinion of how I want to be taught. My words are not just meaningless when I give thought to the problems I face in the classroom as I intend to be a part of the future of education in creating a better way to learn.

Author's Note

I wrote this for my Creative Writing Class. This is a rough draft.

Reviews

[I am that I am]

This is something I always found to be true throughout my school experience. The teachers wanted to see things done a certain way, their way; and wondered why the students found no joy in creativity. Creativity is not taught; this is quite the paradox. A person's words tell you everything about them. One's words are a mirror of their very selves. Whatever words they will write out cannot be judged or graded, unless you would judge and grade their very soul. Who is another to say your soul is incorrectly expressed, or should be changed? These judgements that a person makes about another only mirrors the judgements they make about themselves. They say "This should be changed. The ideas are expressed incorrectly." In reality, it is they who feel they need to change themselves. It is they who feel that they cannot express things correctly. This is where "teaching" has its flaws. A true teacher makes their impact in silence, and gives the student the confidence they need to become a success. The teacher makes the most impact quietly; when the teachers work is done, the student shall say "I've done it myself." In reality, one can only learn from them self; another can only point the way. Thank you for sharing this, Created Unfinished.

[The Nude Writer]

Oh fabulous! I remember writing in school and how kinda life changing it was. I think this is wonderful :)