Is There More To Life Than Our English Marks?
A question that we all must have asked ourselves several times throughout our high school careers, and I bet you'd be shocked to hear that I think the answer to the question is: yes, your life will go on if you don't get that 98.9% in your ENG4U0 course. However, should this determine the very fate of our future? (Melodramatic, I know, I'm a theatre student).
What do all 21 of these Ontario universities have in common? The course code ENG4U0 written as a pre-requisite to every single program alongside the lowest average needed to be considered for that program altogether. But the question still stands: should this course be required for entry into all university programs? My short answer: no. My slightly longer short answer: yes, but let me explain what I think.
It's not surprise that English isn't everyone's strongest subject, based on ability, background, and the often subjective nature of the course which depends on the teacher. So why should our mark in a course that can often be influenced in ways other than our own ability affect our university admissions? For this reason and this reason alone, I don't believe that the English mark we receive should be included in admissions.
On the contrary, I do believe the course should be a pre-requisite course for university, I do not think that the mark should have an effect on our admission decision. English, like many other academic subjects, provides different types of educational benefits aside from strictly memorizing literary devices or scenes from the novel that you probably didn't read ahead of time. Although those skills seem rather tedious and pointless, I do believe that there is so much more gained from these skills rather than remembering how to spell onomatopoeia (congrats to myself for ACTUALLY remembering how to spell onomatopoeia). Analysis of novels not only give us a deeper understanding of the text given, but with due time, we become more and more accustomed to using these critical thinking skills without having to sit down at a desk for 30 minutes trying to figure out a lengthy quote written by Shakespeare (been there, done that). We can make bigger connections to our lives and the media around us; how we perceive and take information. Through concepts such as critical lenses, we can take the skills we learned whilst analyzing novels and essays, and apply it to how we understand the world around us. These concepts are what shape our values, opinions, and politics.
Another reason to lead me to believe that English is very important is based on the concept that art and literature is one of the strongest forms of education that one could receive. In literature, we are able to see different parts and cultures of the world, different time periods, and different experiences expressed through fiction and non-fiction. In an article written by Darla Himeles, she states that English courses help students understand cultures and the world around them to enforce diverse and open mindedness (Himeles). The Ontario Curriculum also provides many different ways students will benefit from this course. Using challenging literature from different time periods, cultures, countries, and authors, we "interpret and valuate informational and graphic texts" ("The Ontario Curriculum Grades 11 and 12").
Upon reading this, I hope you have a better understanding as to why I believe the ENG4U0 credit is important based on learning, however, the mark we receive should not be considered more important than the skills we learn from this course.
Works Cited
Himeles, Darla. “Why Is English Class Important?” Synonym, classroom.synonym.com/english-class-important-6088548.html.
What do all 21 of these Ontario universities have in common? The course code ENG4U0 written as a pre-requisite to every single program alongside the lowest average needed to be considered for that program altogether. But the question still stands: should this course be required for entry into all university programs? My short answer: no. My slightly longer short answer: yes, but let me explain what I think.
It's not surprise that English isn't everyone's strongest subject, based on ability, background, and the often subjective nature of the course which depends on the teacher. So why should our mark in a course that can often be influenced in ways other than our own ability affect our university admissions? For this reason and this reason alone, I don't believe that the English mark we receive should be included in admissions.
On the contrary, I do believe the course should be a pre-requisite course for university, I do not think that the mark should have an effect on our admission decision. English, like many other academic subjects, provides different types of educational benefits aside from strictly memorizing literary devices or scenes from the novel that you probably didn't read ahead of time. Although those skills seem rather tedious and pointless, I do believe that there is so much more gained from these skills rather than remembering how to spell onomatopoeia (congrats to myself for ACTUALLY remembering how to spell onomatopoeia). Analysis of novels not only give us a deeper understanding of the text given, but with due time, we become more and more accustomed to using these critical thinking skills without having to sit down at a desk for 30 minutes trying to figure out a lengthy quote written by Shakespeare (been there, done that). We can make bigger connections to our lives and the media around us; how we perceive and take information. Through concepts such as critical lenses, we can take the skills we learned whilst analyzing novels and essays, and apply it to how we understand the world around us. These concepts are what shape our values, opinions, and politics.
Another reason to lead me to believe that English is very important is based on the concept that art and literature is one of the strongest forms of education that one could receive. In literature, we are able to see different parts and cultures of the world, different time periods, and different experiences expressed through fiction and non-fiction. In an article written by Darla Himeles, she states that English courses help students understand cultures and the world around them to enforce diverse and open mindedness (Himeles). The Ontario Curriculum also provides many different ways students will benefit from this course. Using challenging literature from different time periods, cultures, countries, and authors, we "interpret and valuate informational and graphic texts" ("The Ontario Curriculum Grades 11 and 12").
Upon reading this, I hope you have a better understanding as to why I believe the ENG4U0 credit is important based on learning, however, the mark we receive should not be considered more important than the skills we learn from this course.
Works Cited
Himeles, Darla. “Why Is English Class Important?” Synonym, classroom.synonym.com/english-class-important-6088548.html.
Government of Ontario. English. The Government of Ontario, 2007. [PDF]. 22 February 2018.
Werner, Joy. Image of 21 Universities in Ontario. BUFA, Brock University Faculty Association, 17 March, 2014, https://www.bufa.ca/things-to-think-about-before-you-or-your-department-or-centre-sign-on-the-dotted-online-learning-line/.
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