Why Do I Have to Learn This?

Why do I have to learn this? I can't even count the number of times I have heard this or some variation.

Why do I have to read this? Why do I have to write this? Why do I have to take this class?

Honestly, its a valid question for students to ask. If they know why you are asking them to learn something, they will become more invested in the information. Well, ideally they will.

So why do we ask students to read short stories, novels, plays, poetry, etc.? There are dozens of reasons, but in short, one of the most important reasons is because it helps to improve communication skills. Depending on where you teach, your general English course could go by any number of titles. English Language Arts and Communication Arts are two of the more common ones. What I like to inform students of is that the goal of the class, regardless of the title, is to improve their skills in speaking and in writing.

Students are aware that unless they make it to some sort of gameshow setting like Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? no one is ever going to ask them who Tom Sawyer's bestie was. Or in what year the "Pit and the Pendulum" is set. So why do we ask them to learn it? Why do we quiz them on it? Simple. It gives us common ground in which to communicate.

My students come from a variety of backgrounds and interest and in order for us to communicate, I personally would have to be invested in a lot of different hobbies.

That one student who talks of nothing else but vehicles and farm equipment--I'd be at a complete loss! I can tell you how to start my car and do the basic driving functions, but beyond that, you might as well send me into the store to ask for blinker fluid!

However, if that same student and I have read the same short story, it puts us on even ground for communication. It has taken the variable of knowledge out of the equation and allows us to focus on the actual skills associated with communicating.

This is one of the reasons I am such a huge advocate of reading quizzes that focus solely on content knowledge. Before we can communicate, I need to know that my student has read the piece and actually understands it. After that, then we can work on the deeper skills of analyzing what has been read though the use of communication skills whether that be in writing or through oral discussions.

So what do you generally tell students when they ask that all too common question? Join the conversation over on Instagram by following SimplySmartTeaching, comments, or concerns you might have and let's chat!