Colleagues, I believe that English Language Arts encompasses, in its most basic form, reading and writing.

However, built atop those foundations, one can find empathy, wonder, self-reliance, and a connection to other worlds, cultures, and the world we live in. These ideas connect students to society and the world around us, and help them find themselves, their identities, and their roles in society. English It provides a vital opportunity for teachers to reach their students, reach to their identities and cultures, reach students. Its important to teach to them; not at them. It can raise a student up, give them a voice and ability to tell their story and experience, use their own cultural and background knowledge to form new knowledge, and expand their horizons. English can liberate our students from what they feel is holding them back, give them a sense of hope, justice, and belongingif teachers are willing to work with them, get to know them, and present curricula that apply to the student, his life, his culture and his background. Take into account where the students are coming from, different chances to interact, dont coddle In the workforce, no matter what their level of proficiency, students will need to draw upon their literacy skills in order to function in their career. While I dont believe that English Language Arts is exclusively to prepare students for the work force, it is a vital part in preparing good workers. Moreover, the subject helps students think for themselves and infer their own ideas, thusly creating (ideally), good citizens. My goal is to give the students the intellectual tools they need to enter society as an independent and capable thinker. Lastly, I believe that English as a subject is the most versatile amongst those taught in schoolsit translates across all subjects, and can be applied to almost all things academic.

English can be adapted to any type of learning in the form of reading, making it a challenging, broad but exciting subject to teach. English translates across just about everythingsociety, culture, subjects, and people. It is the universal connecter to the world. Language Arts allows students to experience and express emotions, people and places, and gives them the tools to articulate and come into themselves as individuals. English can be used to give students a voice, a sense of place, speak to their identity and validate their experiences and culture. It is an opportunity to let students come into their own, connect their own world to the larger one, and find their places in it.