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| Qantas, Amanda "Old School Typewriter" 2013 via imgur Public Domain Dedication License |
The English discipline is, at it's roots, the study of social trends through analysis of English compositions. This is an extremely bare-bones description of this incredibly complex discipline. It is the goal of an English student to be able to analyze and interpret modern and classic English literature. This is done through the teachings of linguistics, rhetorical analysis, composition and structure, interpretation skills, research, and verbal communication and understanding. These are only some fundamental skills taught for the English discipline and like all other professions, these can be honed in on for the pursuit of specific professions.
People who study English typically pursue professions in editing, teaching, journalism, creative writing, technical writers, marketing/advertising consultant, communications management, and publishing.
I've always loved writing since I was young. I would write stories for my mom and poems whenever I was bored. I was never a particularly avid reader and could never just sit down and read for hours on end, but I could write like that. In high school, I came to love literary and rhetorical analysis. My english teachers exposed me to more than just a short fiction story and I came to love the in depth insight every piece I read provided. I enjoyed challenging myself to understand complex ideas and see how far I could take my understanding. I've never hated writing, even when siting at a computer a three in the morning deleting the same sentence twelve times because I had writers block. I decided to pursue english as a career because I felt that it should satisfy me for the rest of my life (I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but it's mine). I've always loved sharing my passion for English with others and I intend to pursue a career in English education (*gasp* You want to be a teacher? Yes. I have since I was about 8). I hope to work at the college level and dream to be an education reformist that makes a difference to the american school system and its students.
Some of the biggest (and most interesting) names in English and education right now include:
-Jim Larimore, Chief officer for the advancement of underserved learners, ACT. He is specifically involved with testing and assessment of a broader school population and is focused on creating a more personally-invested school system.
-Leighangela Brady, Assistant superintendent for educational services, Encinitas USD, Calif. Her focus is the regulation of student and faculty stress levels in the constantly accelerating field of eduction.
-Ken Robinson, public educationalist and author. Robinson is one of my personal inspirations in the field of education and the reform of the school system. He is, however, less prominent in the field in the last several years.
There are a vast number of education and english journals, so I'll focus specifically of english education journals (best of both worlds). The first is the journal College English, a journal produced by the Nation Council of Teachers of English. It is dedicated to the publication of student and teacher works regarding teaching, analysis, composition, theory and linguistics all related to the English discipline.
The second prominent journal in my field is English Education. Also produced by the Nation Council of Teachers of English, the purpose of this journal is to serve college teacher in the preparation of english teachers of all levels and provide insight to curriculum, teaching methods, useful tool, and constructive methodologies.
Finally, the College Composition and Communication is an independently operated journal supervised by the Nation Council of Teachers of English. It is a journal more focused on studies and research of social paradigms and their relation to the english discipline (such as LGBT, gender, and race studies). It is targeted as English professors hoping to broaden their teaching theories and methods.
The English discipline I have decided to dedicate my education to is a broad and ever-changing environment. It is the vast insight gained through the study of english that has truly won my heart and I look forward to diving head first into the english education environment in the near future.
REFLECTION:
After reading through the descriptions of my classmates Andrea and Chloe, I found out that there are some many different passions and loves around me. In college, I have only met science, business, law, and engineering students, and I've been rather intimidated. But Andrea explained that it's just something she has come to love and that made me realize that all these brilliant students are just doing what I'm doing and pursuing what they love. Chloe's post brought me even more encouragement because I found out that she is a creative writing major. Her description of her feelings toward the pursuit of her major are inspiring and uplifting. Both of them decided what to pursue in college while they were in high school, where as I have known since I was in elementary school. It was a very different feeling and I found it refreshing that they found something so recently, where as I have perused mine for so long.
It's always exciting to see someone so passionate about their field of study. Growing up I was very similar to you, except instead of being able to write for hours on end I was the one that would read for hours on end. Going into high school, it was very rewarding and exhilarating to analyze pieces of literature and to grasp a further understanding of them. I give you much praise for choosing to pursue a degree in teaching English, because while I may love it, I don't think that I would be able to do it day in and day out. One of the biggest questions I have for aspiring teachers is how do they plan on dealing with difficult individuals. These individuals often deter the class from achieving their true potentials, and I personally would not know how to deal with their actions rationally. I wish you the best in your studies, and I hope that you find yourself satisfied with your job in the future.
ReplyDeleteHi Samantha! I am glad to hear that you want to be a writer. I remember thinking your works were always really good in creative writing class senior year. I think wanting to be a teacher is an awesome thing. The only problem is that often English teachers are the least in demand.
ReplyDeleteWriting, I would say, is not my passion, but if it anything like getting sucked into reading a really good book for hours, I can relate to that. But your level of enthusiasm for writing makes me question if I really have the motivation and enough enjoyment in me to complete all the science classes necessary to become a doctor. I have always enjoyed learning about science. I think it is just phenomenal how perfectly the human body works and functions. I guess I never seise to be amazed.