I’m sure we’ve all heard teens complaining and questioning why they’re required to study and dissect plays, poems, and other bodies of text from centuries ago. In fact, maybe you complained yourself when you were in high school!
While reading and studying Edgar Allan Poe or Shakespeare may sometimes feel uninspiring for young learners, scrutinizing the works of these literary giants can help learners develop key analytical and creative skills and so much more.
Read on to find out why high school English is an essential course for teens and why it’s beneficial for adults, too, if you’re considering retaking this cornerstone subject through a virtual high school.
English Hones Writing Skills
This may seem like an obvious place to start — so obvious, in fact, that you may not have considered it. Knowing how to write cohesively, succinctly, and compellingly is a fundamental skill that will stand you in good stead throughout life. Whether you’re writing a resume and cover letter, applying for a small business bank loan, or relaying information to coworkers over email, your writing skills will help you succeed.
It can be all too easy to rest easy thinking that you’re set because you have a solid grasp of conversational English. On paper, you may not be able to translate thoughts and ideas as seamlessly as you’d like, which will hold you back in every dimension of your career.
English Helps You Shape Emotions
Having a core understanding of grammar, spelling, and punctuation is beneficial. However, high school English goes beyond the basics. Students will also learn how to effectively express themselves and determine between logical, ethical and emotional appeals.
This can be highly beneficial in the work environment (for example, if you want to express urgency on a project without ruffling feathers, or to strategically reinforce the value of a service in a pitch). Inspiring the right emotions is also a core facet of sales, marketing and advertising.
English Boosts Your Analytical Skillset
Closely studying a piece of literature, dissecting each line, and drawing conclusions and takeaways can strengthen our analytical skills.
Being able to assuredly deduce the crux of the piece puts learners in good standing for later life when they’re trying to break down a legal contract, for example, or decide whether a new work contract is a good fit.
It’s a valuable skill for navigating interpersonal communications at college or university and even later in the workplace. Being able to decipher tone and to read between the lines can save you from awkward misunderstandings among team members.
English Heightens Cultural and Social Intelligence
Texts like Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” give students an insight into a lived experience of racism in the South; Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, on the other hand, raises questions about women and their role in society. Dicken’s A Tale of Two Cities gives students a broad sweep of history in a specific cultural and economic milieu.
Reading texts by diverse authors not only empowers students with a better understanding of social, cultural and political matters but doing so has also been shown to heighten social skills, like empathy.
English Helps You Understand History
For some students, history is taxing, hard to remember, or hard to interpret. Learning about different periods through the art of literature can significantly increase comprehension of bygone eras and how history repeats.
The Takeaway
English in high school is a necessity. It can improve students’ chances of writing an amazing cover letter in later life and improve social skills like empathy while increasing their understanding of social issues. The next time you hear a teen complaining about having to study Moby Dick, keep these benefits in mind.
And if you’ve been debating revisiting high school English as an adult, it is a worthwhile endeavour. Look around online for eLearning opportunities through an accredited virtual high school. You surely won’t regret it!
