Teacher the Expert - Unit 1

Grammar scares me. The amount of time I have spent learning grammar in my life is extremely minimal. Sometimes I get the sense that something is not sounding right or it does not make sense in writing or in speech but most often I cannot identify the term to describe the mistake. Beyond basic nouns, verbs, adjectives and a few more grammatical concepts, I have a lot to learn. You might ask, how can you expect to be an English teacher? I would argue that teachers are not meant to be experts in their field. Should they be knowledgeable about what they are teaching? Yes, of course, but you do not need to be an expert to teach. One could argue that one of the best ways to learn is to teach, but that is a subject for another day.

If I think of any English teacher, I have ever experienced I would not describe them as English grammar experts. Sure, they know more than me, but they also send out emails or write on the board such poorly complied grammar it is hard to make out what they are trying to say. Probably most of us have outsmarted a teacher at one point in our lives by pointing out some obvious mistake that they glazed over.

With that being said, I think it is important to determine what the purpose is in learning grammar in order to know the level of expertise necessary to teach it. In my opinion, grammar’s purpose is to help portray thoughts, feelings, and information in both writings and speaking. Not only should it be portrayed but displayed in a way that is clear and understandable. As a teacher, the amount of grammar necessary to teach successful communication in this way is the amount of grammar you should know and probably a bit more, just in case you get some students whose motivation is high and their comprehension is excellent.

Grammar has often been taught as something to despise but as the article “Why Teach Grammar?” says, it should be taught as something to love. It is important for teachers to express what they are teaching as worthwhile and authentic. Grammar should come along and accent what is already being taught to create a more worthwhile and authentic skill for the learner.

As teachers, expertise is not necessary. General knowledge is very helpful and should be required. And it is always okay to say “I don’t know, I’ll get back to you.” For learners to see that their teacher is not a know-it-all, can be helpful as they experience learning together. “You can explain that failure is a part of life and happens to everyone, even you” (Miller, 2018). Together your students and yourself can grow in your learning, push each other to know more, experience more and explain more.

Miller, C. (2018, August 16). Help Kids Learn to Fail | Building Self-Esteem in Children. Retrieved November 6, 2018, from https://childmind.org/article/how-to-help-kids-learn-to-fail/

Owen, J. (2014, March 04). Why Teach Grammar? Retrieved November 6, 2018, from http://www.arrantpedantry.com/2014/03/04/why-teach-grammar/