Change!
The Big Concept for Fall 2013
Mr. Case’s
English 9
In his famous play Pygmalion, some of you may know Alan Jay Lerner’s musical adaptation of this story, titled My Fair Lady, George Bernard Shaw makes this observation through the character simply called “The Note Taker”: “Remember that you are a human being with a soul and the divine gift to articulate speech: that your native language is the language of Shakespeare and Milton; don’t sit there crooning like a bilious pigeon.” These words of wisdom simply imply that anybody can communicate well if they try and more importantly keep trying when they fail. This articulates the theme or big idea behind or rather within this play, and ultimately for this class; that good teachers, with willing students, can change their ability to communicate and learn that there is much more to the English language than simply being able to talk. In every unit this semester we will attempt to change the way we read about and respond to various literary characters and look at how that change connects us to our world in ways that perhaps we haven’t been able to see before.
To get to this end, we must first look at the qualities of a good teacher. For students to change their minds about any subject, essay writing for example, a good teacher would first model what a proper student essay would look like. Then, he or she would get the students to carefully read that essay. Next, it might be advisable to take the essay apart in class and talk about the components of a good essay. Finally, no amount of modeling or talking can take the place of actual writing. A good teacher would step beyond the model and encourage his or her students to edit and rewrite their own essays several times; editing for things like organization, clarity, style and meaning. Remember a good teacher does not write or teach “bilious” meaningless things. Therefore, it is necessary to really read the content of this or any piece of literature.
Of course, it could be argued that the lessons a good teacher offers may seem meaningless without willing students to follow them. Unless each one takes the time to apply and adapt the concepts being taught changing the way students communicate might prove to be a painful process. Specifically, good written communicators take the time to brainstorm their ideas, organize their thoughts, and express them in an effective and interesting manner. For instance, students who brainstorm their ideas first before they write a sentence or paragraph often write more logical papers. Connecting smaller ideas to the big idea or theme of every paper is very important. Accordingly, organizing those ideas in order of importance is equally necessary because that helps define the scope of the writing and prevents the writer from going off topic. Logically then, after brainstorming and organizing, the writer is prepared to express him/herself in an interesting manner without agonizing over what to write about. In short, applying this process takes time at first but no more time than blindly jumping into a paper without any meaningful ideas, a process that often leads to short, stilted, illogical, error ridden public speeches and papers. Students willing to take the time and apply these three strategies can change the way they communicate and improve both their speaking and writing skills.
Even though writing lessons may be well taught and students may be willing to improve their skills, changing the way one communicates cannot occur without practice. More to the point, read and write. There is no substitute for reading articles or stories written by professional writers. These people know the workings of the language and have a style all their own. Indeed, they have probably honed their own style by imitating the writing styles of others. Good writers have learned how to form and express their ideas and reading their articles can teach readers, through attrition, to do the same. Therefore, students who read carefully and remember creative language used by their favourite authors and then attempt to use that language in conversation or cite it in their own writing often change the way they communicate without even trying.
The English language has many complex rules and very few people achieve mastery over it even if they have spoken the language all of their lives. However, achieving mastery isn’t the reason we all need to take English classes in the first place. In fact, simply learning the basic language skills necessary to survive in a world where communication is constantly changing and becoming increasingly more difficult may be more difficult than understanding Shakespeare or Milton. Therefore, we must at least attempt to follow our teacher’s models, willingly apply and adapt what they teach, and then ultimately, read and write, to learn and apply the techniques, ideas and styles of published writers. Applying the recommendations in this paper may not change your grades immediately because positive, meaningful change never occurs that quickly. Applying reading and writing strategies will eventually change the speaking and writing skills of students if they choose to listen, study and practice. The goal; improving our communication skills far beyond “crooning about stuff like bilious pigeons”. Perhaps we might all connect to our own world in new and exciting ways and learn to share those connections with others. It all begins with the desire to change.