O English, O English, thou art appreciated, English! by Krista

O English, O English, thou art appreciated, English! by Krista - October 2016 Scholarship Essay

“O Romeo, O Romeo, where art thou, Romeo?” And another cliché line in the history of English literature loses its once originally praised identity in the midst of students becoming overly comfortable, and thus annoyed, with that over-learned line. However, people’s annoyances with a certain anything does not actually decrease its worth; rather, perspectives solely decrease value. This goes for about any aspect of life: a less favored puppy is still a cute puppy whether people acknowledge that idea or not, and a once pro-basketball player is still a legend, despite his or her now loss of fame. Because English literature, no matter how expansive its breadth of literary models is, commonly is repetitive in which books students have to study during their academic careers, it easily becomes a tiresome subject. On top of that, the frightening low rates of reading comprehension among students in the United States is critical for analysis, and is highly applicable when we ponder why our students hate studying English, and why it is such a rare choice of study despite the increasing job opportunities that come with being a writer. No matter how the next generations perceive the seemingly tedious nature of English, there is beauty in challenge, and there is inevitably an irreplaceable beauty in the power of language and word play.

With my passion for English, my peers often assume that I was that little girl running around with the entire Harry Potter series, studious and enjoying the hobby of reading and writing ever since my elementary education years. However, quite the opposite is true for my history with English. In elementary school, I despised reading and was even consistently placed in the lowest level reading group. Not only was there a genuine struggle for reading comprehension, there was also an undeniable lack of interest for improving it. As I entered my middle school years, dealing with the common struggle of being bullied, I grew a desire to read as an escape mechanism, which although is an unhealthy act in itself, allowed me to gain a new perspective of literature. Then it hit me. Sophomore year of high school, I had the most amazing English teacher. She encouraged my writing, understood my social anxiety, taught amazing lessons that inspired me and my peers, and allowed me to find a space where I truly felt not only the worth in thriving but the value in it as well. I continued to have her for junior year English and AP Literature in senior year. My writing has grown tremendously, which of course is valuable in grades and being a strong academic candidate, but English is more than that. There lies a desire to be good at English in our personal definitions of what it means to be good at English; thus, it is more than just getting a good grade on a paper - it is also dancing with our language and embracing our unique forms of communication. Our stories are in everything we write, even if they are essays about cliché Shakespearean plays. And there’s ultimate beauty in that.

Due to the impact my English teacher has had on me and the ability for English to have saved my life in my dark times, I would love to be an English teacher if my role as a student reversed. It would be an absolute privilege to mentor all types of English students, just as my English teacher nurtured me and provided me a chance with. In a society that is so artificial, I would hope that as an English teacher, I would be able to build upon my students by inspiring them to be the most natural form of themselves and help them see how that is beautiful even if society tells us it is not. Aside from the self love and courage aspects, English is a very important aspect to all fields and careers because it is simply a necessary communicative skill that we as the next generation need to be strong in. Whether it be scientific lab reports, math proofs, or even historical summaries, English is potent in all paths; and I would love to be that connection for all students.