The brightest memory of my schooling years is still spending all my free time with my English teacher and a group of like-minded friends, discussing the philosophical undertones of poetry and hyper-analyzing literary text until every last drop of poetic devices was squeezed out of it. In fact, that’s what I miss most about school. Sure, math and science were fun, but English- it stimulated me. It opened doors to rooms in my mind I didn’t know existed! Literature took you on a fun trip through the minds that existed before us. From Robert Frost’s beautifully detailed imageries to O. Henry’s mind-bending plot twists, to call this class fun is an understatement.
I don’t remember a lot of people valuing English as a subject, or even respecting the teacher nearly as much as the science or math teachers. But to me, my English teachers were everything. My wildest memories include translating an excerpt from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar from Early Modern English to Modern English and performing it for the class with a bunch of friends just because our teacher let us do it! To think, we did this as preparation for an examination!
^ I swear this is exactly what we thought we were doing (of course it would be an Oliver Putnam rendition of the classic)
Another memory with a different English teacher was sitting around in a circle on the floor, to not only enact but also try to analyze The Tale of Melon City by Vikram Seth. I may not remember much of the poem, but I do remember having a jolly good time with my classmates! I seem to always surround myself with friends who prefer discussing books or TV Shows and picking their morals apart or simply appreciating art over playing sports during recess. Dodging out PE teachers, making excuses of being hurt (therefore, unable to make it to basketball or whatever :p) to play hangman in class (Best. Part. Of. The. Day.). Of course, my friends and I would get competitive, but we never stood a chance against our English Teacher (I mean, obviously).
Note: I actually did have a sportsperson (not seriously) streak in tenth grade. Never again though, thanks.
Perhaps English teachers were cool because their subject really wasn’t as serious as science. Maybe it was simply easier for English teachers to make their classes fun because their portion was easier to cover. Or maybe I just thought the classes were fun cause I was good at it :p. But the compliments I got from my English teachers always stuck harder to me. I can write confidently because they told me I’m good. I mean, everyone definitely has room for improvement but earning that nudge of confidence gave me the push I needed. My English teachers are the reason why I can take constructive criticism. And watching them go through years of teaching a subject not many people could appreciate, taught me that not everyone would understand the work I do, but someone will always be there to appreciate it. You just need your niche audience. :)
So, here’s to all those English teachers that made student life a little more bearable, and got us through tough times. You may not hear it enough, but you were my favourite teacher. Thank you for everything you’ve taught me.