ENGL 110-64

            For centuries, the methods of teaching general English have been highly criticized by scholars,writers, professors, etc. This being the reason why many tend to argue and criticize each other’s teaching methods and writing. A famous example of this would be Vershawn Ashanti Young’s famous article on, “Should Writers Use Their Own English?” Here she was critiquing Stanley Fish’s opinions on why standard English should be taught in different varieties of English. Instead she argues for the use of “code meshing” or “code switching”. These two articles have been highly valued and taught today in schools and are still highly argued about in today’s writing world.

Keeping the teaching of standard written English is the goal of many educational centers and has been prevalent for a while. Although, this comes with many difficulties and factors. One being the fact that every individual is taught English in an alternate way. Most people learn their first bit of English from their parents or guardians, and since we all come from different backgrounds this is a huge factor. When it comes to teaching standard English many teachers want to mold the students in a way that benefits them, but, however, comes with the possibility of degrading what their parents taught them. Depending on your culture and where you were raised, English was taught completely differently. When individuals are given the ability to learn English from professors or teachers, they should also be given the opportunity to express themselves through what they’ve learned. Teachers should teach their students to write in their own English, but allowing the opportunity to do so.

I read an article by Mark Blaauw-Hara labeled, “Why Our Students Need Instructions in Grammar, and How We Should Go About It”. In this article Blaauw-Hara speaks highly on the importance of sticking to the rules of standard written English and how to teach it. He states, “Our students need to be able to adhere to standard written English to succeed in their own classes and to get jobs at the end of their schooling, and it’s the responsibility of writing teachers to help them do so”(Blaauw-Hara, Mark). It is apparent that the intended audience of this article is towards English teachers. I thought this statement was interesting, because not only did he state that it is a teachers responsibility to teach grammar and proper English but he also mentioned that “students need to be able to adhere to standard written English”. By requiring students to follow certain rules when it comes to writing, it can lead many to dread the idea of writing. The power of rhetorical choice, and language, can greatly impact a writer and their work. When it comes to this issue, teachers should not only teach standardized writing and English but should also allow their students to express themselves through their writing. At the end of day it is the teachers responsibility to teach the content but students have to decide if they want to use what they learned. By this I mean, many do follow the standard rules of writing but also many write in their own English. An example of this would be the infamous Jane Austen, who was known for using double negatives in her own writing. . By giving the students the power of expression, you are giving them the power of individuality.

           Educators should be open-minded when it comes to teaching general English. Although Mark Blaauw-Hara would disagree with this, writing is unique because the author behind every writing is unique in their own way. When you limit what a writer can and cannot do, you are also limiting the amount of information they are intaking. By this I mean teaching them only standard English, limits their knowledge of other types of English. This is crucial especially in college, where many students are encountering completely different teaching methods from every professor they have. By incorporating different versions of English such as non-standard English, they are helping their students become more educated for the world. Many college students will enter a career where they encounter people from all different backgrounds, where they will need to be knowledgeable in different types of English, such as language. Many students are also coming from homes where English is not their first language, or spoken differently. This all should be taken into consideration.

Another part of this question to look at, is the fact that all culture is changing everyday and affects everything including teaching methods. Many teachers are incorporating different teaching methods especially when it comes to English. They should not only incorporate standard English but also what is considered socially acceptable. This becomes critical especially after college when many students enter professional careers that require a great amount of writing. Also, at the end of the day, many don’t follow the rules of standard English. Writers will write what they want and people will read what they want. Even if this includes breaking the rules. Writers should write in their own English because it opens a different perspective to readers and allows new information to be used. The example of Jane Austen was a good example of this. She broke the standard rule of English because she wanted to, not because she didn’t know better. When writers take a leap and break the rules this adds uniqueness to their writing and excitement.

              In conclusion, writers should use their own English when it comes to writing. Although, there have been many debates on what “standard English” is, and how it should be taught, this shouldn’t be biased and completely take over a classroom. I will end with a quote by Benjamin Franklin, “either write something worth reading or do something writing.”

WORKS CITED
Blaauw-Hara, Mark. “Why our Students Need Instruction in Grammar, and how we should Go about

it.” Teaching English in the Two Year College 34.2 (2006): 165-78. ProQuest. Web. 4 Apr. 2022.

Leibowitz, Glenn. “50 Inspiring Quotes about Writing from the World’s Greatest Authors.” Inc.com, Inc., 24 Aug. 2017, https://www.inc.com/glenn-leibowitz/50-quotes-from-famous-authors-that-will-inspire-yo.html.