The Responsibility of Teachers

I am hoping to teach seniors in high school.  This was my most memorable year in school, as it is for many.  I feel that teachers have a huge potential to impact students during this period of their lives.  As a senior English teacher I will be responsible for preparing students for the challenging transition from high school to college in very practical ways. In being given this assignment I am faced with a difficult dilemma.  I realize the truth in that not one dialect is “superior” but do not believe that society has, more specifically I do not believe that college acceptance boards or all potential employers have. So how can I teach my students that all dialects are equal but that they should only use one in order to have the best possibilities for success? It is contradictory.  My initial thought is that for the benefit of my students I must endorse “standard” English until society recognizes that dialects do not reflect intelligence.  However, my second thought that is that as educators we have a great impact on the next generation.  This impact can determine societal change.  Is it up to us to address the misconception and embrace different forms of language? Is it right to possibly hinder a generation of students so that the next will have dialectal freedom? Perhaps the largest challenge is finding a way to embrace all dialects, while educating communities, and avoiding any hindrance to students. This seems a large task.

Self Introduction

Hello English 338 classmates!

My name is Lauren Favero. I'm 21 years old and this is my 4th year at MSU.  I am an English Teaching major like many of you.  I began college as an Environmental Design (Architecture) major and spent two years in that program.  The switch to English surprised my family a lot. I had wanted to be an architect from the time I was eight but I ended up hating it. I'm still questioning how I lasted as long as I did in that major. When I decided that was not what I wanted to do with my life or for any amount of time, for that matter, I asked myself two questions.  What are the things I enjoy most academically and what do I enjoy most outside of school? The answers to those questions were: I like classes that give me an opportunity to write and write in different forms and I like to engage and connect with people. When I thought about those things it became fairly clear that a career in English education was what I should pursue, and should have from the start.  This is only my third semester as a declared English major but I feel certain that this is what I will be doing the rest of my life. I'm excited!