How My First Year Writing Class Taught Me To Love The English Language | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Student Life

How My First Year Writing Class Taught Me To Love The English Language

It's all thanks to my classmates

293
How My First Year Writing Class Taught Me To Love The English Language
Pexels

My first year writing class was a class I expected to be the same as any other on my schedule; just another class I’m required to take if I want to graduate college. What I didn’t know was how much this class was going to open my eyes to the world around me. Being one of two people in my class who was born in the United States is something I have never come across but I think it was the best thing to ever happen to me.

For only being in this class for 3 weeks now it has taught me more about myself and the world around me than any other class I have taken has. Knowing how to write in English is second nature to me, I have been taught this my whole life. It’s something, you can say, I took for granted. It wasn’t a big deal, it was something I have been taught the day I started school when I was 5. It was something that I was expected to master by a certain age and it was also something I never thought about twice. Being grateful for the language you speak is something you don’t really see the importance of until you are surrounded by people who would switch places with you any day. I never really thought much of this until I stepped into this classroom.

The amount of respect I have gained for my classmates cannot be put into words. However, they showed me how much in my life I have taken for granted. I am surrounded by people who want to learn English, who want to write in English. I am surrounded by people who want to learn the things in English I easily took for granted or didn’t care for learning. The things I would do to get out of my English grammar and writing classes is truly unimaginable. I didn’t have the drive to learn something I was “required” to know by the time I was to graduate elementary school. I felt as if why should I care? It's not a big deal. It's something everyone does (or so I thought). The will and determination my classmates have is something I have never seen, but I applaud immensely. They have opened my eyes to the world around me and made me reflect on the things in life I am grateful for, and having my first language be English is something that wouldn’t have been on the list before this class.

Being in this class has also made me love this country even more than I already do. In America, you can speak whatever language you want. If all my classmates had their first language be English I wouldn’t even be writing this, we would all be the same and I love how we are not. I love walking into this class hearing my classmates speak different languages and learning about the countries they are from. I love hearing everyone’s different accents as they tell me about their cultures and heritage. I love having my classmates teach me their language while I teach them mine. I love how this class is a reflection of the world we live in. We are all different yet we always find so much in common with each other.

My classmates are the most self-driven and intelligent people I have met in my whole 18 years on this planet. They make me a better person every time I step into that classroom. They make me want to become a better person. Their impact they have had on me (for only knowing each other for less than a month) is an impact that will last a lifetime. Being grateful for the language you speak is something I didn’t even think to be grateful for. It's something that was there but never really appreciated to its full potential. I now see the importance of it and its impact it can have on people. I am a big believer that everything happens for a reason. I truly believe that I was put into this class to help the people around me learn a language that they have always wanted to learn, english. I truly believe that everyone else is the class was also meant to be there to show me how selfish I was to disregard a language anyone in the class would trade places to know to the extent that I know it. They showed me that no matter how small you may think something in your life is, it still should never be taken for granted.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Featured

15 Mind-Bending Riddles

Hopefully they will make you laugh.

192873
 Ilistrated image of the planet and images of questions
StableDiffusion

I've been super busy lately with school work, studying, etc. Besides the fact that I do nothing but AP chemistry and AP economics, I constantly think of stupid questions that are almost impossible to answer. So, maybe you could answer them for me, and if not then we can both wonder what the answers to these 15 questions could be.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

Most Epic Aurora Borealis Photos: October 2024

As if May wasn't enough, a truly spectacular Northern Lights show lit up the sky on Oct. 10, 2024

16439
stunning aurora borealis display over a forest of trees and lake
StableDiffusion

From sea to shining sea, the United States was uniquely positioned for an incredible Aurora Borealis display on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, going into Friday, Oct. 11.

It was the second time this year after an historic geomagnetic storm in May 2024. Those Northern Lights were visible in Europe and North America, just like this latest rendition.

Keep Reading...Show less
 silhouette of a woman on the beach at sunrise
StableDiffusion

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of suicide/suicidal thoughts.

When you are feeling down, please know that there are many reasons to keep living.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

Power of Love Letters

I don't think I say it enough...

459070
Illistrated image of a letter with 2 red hearts
StableDiffusion

To My Loving Boyfriend,

  • Thank you for all that you do for me
  • Thank you for working through disagreements with me
  • Thank you for always supporting me
  • I appreciate you more than words can express
  • You have helped me grow and become a better person
  • I can't wait to see where life takes us next
  • I promise to cherish every moment with you
  • Thank you for being my best friend and confidante
  • I love you and everything you do

To start off, here's something I don't say nearly enough: thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart. You do so much for me that I can't even put into words how much I appreciate everything you do - and have done - for me over the course of our relationship so far. While every couple has their fair share of tiffs and disagreements, thank you for getting through all of them with me and making us a better couple at the other end. With any argument, we don't just throw in the towel and say we're done, but we work towards a solution that puts us in a greater place each day. Thank you for always working with me and never giving up on us.

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

11 Signs You Grew Up In Hauppauge, NY

Because no one ever really leaves.

27287
Map of Hauppauge, New York
Google

Ah, yes, good old Hauppauge. We are that town in the dead center of Long Island that barely anyone knows how to pronounce unless they're from the town itself or live in a nearby area. Hauppauge is home to people of all kinds. We always have new families joining the community but honestly, the majority of the town is filled with people who never leave (high school alumni) and elders who have raised their kids here. Around the town, there are some just some landmarks and places that only the people of Hauppauge will ever understand the importance or even the annoyance of.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments