Why 4U English is Important

In my opinion, grade 12 university level English should be required for entry into every university program. 4U English teaches you so many important skills that are needed for both university program and future careers. You carry the knowledge you gain from English class with you for your entire life, whether you realize it or not.

It is important to be able to convey your thoughts and opinions in a professional and mature way, through speech, essays or even through a formal email. Knowing how to express your thoughts in an intellectual manner can help you with applying for a job, as you need to be able to clearly answer questions in an interview situation. Many different university courses require you to write formal essays as well as written reports. Even STEM programs can require you to write research proposals and formal lab reports. You also learn how to properly cite your sources in English class, which is an essential skill for university courses of all subjects. High school English courses also set you up for success in university by helping you to develop good work habits. 4U courses are a lot of work and generally require you to learn how to manage your time wisely, as well as learn how to work efficiently.

Most of my friends do not enjoy taking English because they don’t enjoy learning about Shakespeare or reading classic books. However, learning about Shakespeare and reading classic works of literature help to give you a better understanding of history and help you to create a better perspective on our current society and the world around us. Reading about a characters problems in a book can help us find new ways to tackle our own personal problems as well. Reading about how fictional societies behave provides us with the opportunity to compare and contrast the fictional societies to our own, and to potentially see what needs to change in our own society.

The majority of people who speak English as their first language, especially teenagers, tend to forget or overlook basic rules of grammar, myself included. In fact, in the States, 3/4 of 12th graders lack proficiency in writing. This could be because of the rise of the internet and social media. It is important to know how grammar works when you are entering university, so that you can properly apply it to your course work.

Let me know what you this about this topic in the comments!

Works Cited

Goldstein, Dana. “Why Kids Can’t Write.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 2 Aug. 2017, http://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/02/education/edlife/writing-education-grammar-students-children.html.Law, Sally. “Classic Works of Literature Still Have a Place in Today’s Classrooms.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 11 Dec. 2012, http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2012/dec/11/teaching-classic-literature-schools.