The Purpose Of An English Teacher - 1630 Words

The purpose of an English teacher is to impart wisdom into the minds of his or her students, through various methods and mediums such as stories, grammar exercises, and literary writing assignments that challenge students to think critically. English is an interesting subject, in relevance to education and philosophy; because, outside of grammar, there are few concrete avenues an educator can take in order to â€Å"properly† teach it. However, there are standards by which educational organizations follow and promote, such as the Common Core Standards. One website, concerning the purposes of the Common Core Standards, asserts, â€Å"The skills and knowledge captured in the ELA/literacy standards are designed to prepare students for life outside the†¦show more content†¦Quite often, narratives will inspire various interpretations in the minds of the students and the teachers a like—though the author may have had a specific purpose in mind when shaping his or her literary work. Though an objective analysis can be done, regarding the interpretation of literary works, a teacher’s worldview will likely, in some ways, be expressed through his or her opinions of the work. Flannery O’Connor, a Christian novelist, in her essay named â€Å"Novelist and Believer,† writes, â€Å"The good novelist not only finds a symbol for feeling, he finds a symbol and a way of lodging it which tells the intelligent reader whether this feeling is adequate or inadequate, whether it is moral or immoral, whether it is good or evil† (564). If English teachers must analyze works and, furthermore, impart the skill of analysis to their students then teachers will be influencing their students, whether they realize it or not, with their worldview, since it’s difficult for people to interpret a work without drawing from their own perspectives—their worldview. Though worldviews are generally attributed to people, individually or collectively, a field and/or committee that makes the rules and regulations of a particular thing can be primarily shaped around a philosophy. Depending on the type of school system, a certain philosophy will almost always be recognizable. For example, in many cases it isn’t likely, or