What Being an English Teacher Taught Me About Humans
Before I became an English teacher, I thought I was signing up to teach literature, grammar, and the occasional persuasive essay about whether school uniforms are a violation of human rights; what I did not realize is that I had accidentally enrolled in a long-term field study on human behavior conducted in fluorescent lighting. Teaching English is less about commas and more about observing how people construct meaning, defend their opinions, avoid vulnerability, and panic when asked to write more than three sentences about their feelings. If you want to understand humanity in its rawest, least filtered form, put thirty adolescents in a room and ask them what a poem “means.” You will leave with data. The first thing being an English teacher teaches you about humans is that everyone wants to be understood, but very few people want to do the uncomfortable work of expressing themselves clearly. I have watched students passionately argue a theme they cannot fully articulate, waving t...
