I’m trying to be the next Bob Woodward. He’s one of the two reporters who uncovered the Watergate scandal that exposed former president Richard Nixon of federal crimes. Investigative journalism is what I want to do for the rest of my life because it’s my passion and it’s what I’m good at. I’ll never be something like a rocket scientist, a cartographer or a painter and I’m okay with that.
The world needs a variety of skills, but I am not the person who is capable—or interested—in having them.
But I’m also not looked down upon by society for not having extensive knowledge on these topics in my field. I’m not expected to know how to paint—or do whatever rocket scientists do—because I write for a living as a reporter and a college English tutor.
Even though I make a living off of writing, I still dread putting words to paper sometimes—especially if what I create will be judged by others.
Dread and writing are commonly associated feelings, especially for non-native English speakers. As a tutor here at Southwestern College, I interact with students on a daily basis who tell me they hate writing and avoid it at all costs.
This hatred and dread is rooted in one emotion: fear.
They tell me they fear being judged. They tell me they fear being viewed by instructors or professionals as stupid. But what they mostly fear, they say, is that the language barrier will keep them from the success they’re chasing.
I want to dispel that myth now: The ability to speak English—or the lack thereof—does not measure intelligence in the slightest. Albert Einstein put it best when he said we cannot judge a fish by their ability to climb a tree. By writing off students as less intelligent because they cannot write or speak perfect English is dehumanizing and strips the person of any other skill they bring to the table.
Writers are essential to a functioning society—but not everyone needs to have collegiate-level writing abilities for a society to function. There are plenty of roles for people to fill that are not dependent on a person’s ability to write 10-page rhetorical essays in perfect English.
Those essays are fun to write—for nerds like me, at least—and the majority of the students I have tutored over the last two years have had a solid understanding of the material they are writing about. Why then, is grammar being pushed so hard by some professors?
I have an answer, and I promise, it’s not because I believe instructors enjoy tormenting those who cannot write or speak perfect English.
Antiquated societal messages are to blame. Cultural diversity has been shamed, diminished and banned for centuries in America.
Historically, there has been a push for non-English speaking people to immediately learn the language of the land or be damned to a life of judgement and isolation. I do believe people should learn the language if they are going to live in a country—especially if English-speaking Americans are moving to a foreign country with a different language. I find more hypocrisy in Americans that are unwilling to learn another country’s language versus migrants who come to America and struggle to learn English, however.
This is because America, in its entirety, is an arrogant country.
We are number one, we are the best country, everyone else is subpar in one way or another.
At least, that’s what is preached to us.
Society has only recently started to accept and encourage languages outside of English to flourish, but we need to push for this in the educational system as well.
An English-speaking and nationalistic society has made non-native English speaking students feel as if they are lesser than for speaking their own language. If they are not able to conform to American standards, society tells them, then they are not worthy of living in the country. This individualistic way of thinking needs to evolve, and Southwestern College can be a catalyst to that change.
This shift starts in the classroom.
Professors are required to understand grammar, but they do not have to demand it. Content and true understanding of the material should be prioritized over minor grammatical misunderstandings.
In other words, this glorification of self-proclaimed “Grammar-Nazis” needs to stop. For those who have not heard the term, a Grammar-Nazi is someone who points out incorrect grammar in others frequently. Some in the writing profession wear the title proudly. I used to also before I saw how exclusionary proper grammar can be.
It’s exclusionary because the poor cannot always afford the training required to have impeccable grammar. Good schooling is expensive. Private tutors are not cheap. Not all students could afford to focus solely on studying as a child because they had to take part-time jobs to contribute to the family income or help with childcare. There are a myriad of reasons that a student’s grammar may not be great, and academia needs to be mindful of that.
Southwestern College is an HSI, or a Hispanic Serving Institution, and our leaders on campus have done a great job at doing just that. However, ESL does not solely include students of the Latino demographic.
I call on instructors to focus on teaching the core curriculum and not to alienate students by their language skills. Instructors can choose to use constructive tactics by following a grading hierarchy that does not put grammar at the top.
Southwestern College also has a myriad of resources an instructor can send students to if the student needs more help than the teacher can provide.
Tutors like me, for example. The Writing Center, where I work, is just one of the places to recommend students get help. Each of the tutors is a current or former student who loves to write—and it’s free. There are also free tutoring services online or in the library.
We love writing, as do many of the instructors here on campus. Not everyone will share that same adoration and that’s okay. Students should not be discarded for not being able to speak perfect English.
We can potentially lose all of the future rocket scientists, cartographers or painters of the world if they are.
