These things are important
I was recently in a meeting with some curriculum people from the English domain. I mostly try to avoid these meetings. I used to be an English teacher, and it is embarrassing to admit that I can no longer understand much of what these experts say.
The discourse of English has come a long way since I last taught. Indeed it has probably travelled so far that it has forgotten where it was going. It seems like a good idea to remind people what English is, and what students should learn from the subject.
English is the subject which teaches students about the power of language and its expression in good writing and speech.
Students enjoy good writing and come to understand why it is good. They read Shakespeare, Austen, Dickens and [insert own selection here] because these are the best writers in English. They read widely among Australian writers and from the anthology of great poetry. They are introduced to the thrill of sitting in the theatre while a world is created in front of them out of words. The writers they read are selected not because they are dead or alive, or because of the colour of their skin or their sex. They are chosen because they write powerfully, originally and beautifully about important ideas.
Students write lucid prose. They state a simple idea in simple words, which is harder than it sounds. They can make a fist of expressing a complex idea clearly. They think about the particular reader of their writing, but they also work hard to make sure that whatever they write can be widely understood. They imitate fine writing of all kinds, and occasionally find a new way to say something. They write about themselves and about everybody else. They write about the real and the imagined. They write and write.
Students speak clearly and persuasively, sometimes with emotion and sometimes with humour. They can state a case in public with skill and confidence. They might be brought to tears by Martin Luther Kingıs I have a dreamı speech. They might also be moved by Henryıs Once more unto the breech, Dear Friendsı, or Portiaıs The quality of mercy is not strainedı, because they teach us about being human.
They learn about the language, and know that words, carefully chosen, can change lives. They use words with joy, wallowing in their origins, meanings, variations and uses. They have a sense of the rich web of language; the way words live and breathe, the way the language grows.
These things are important: spelling accurately, understanding and using some of the grammar of English, writing in sentences and using punctuation effectively. They are not the only elements of English that matter, or even the most significant. But they are important.
Students also observe how language is abused and used to fool and deceive people. They look behind the curtains of English, speculate about the contents of the attic and investigate the blood-stains in the basement. But these activities are less important than learning about the glory and richness of language.
All of this is essential for all students. It is especially important for students who are not from English-speaking backgrounds, Indigenous students and those who do not learn about the culture of English at home. This is because for students such as these, school is their only guarantee of entry into the language and its culture.
I believe most Australians think about English in this way, or something like it. It is not the way experts write or speak about English. I wish it were.
Bruce Wilson
topEQ Autumn 2004 © Curriculum Corporation