The plight of the english teacher…
Without a doubt, having the ability to express yourself through the english language is a skill that is highly important. However, is the skill of writing perhaps losing it’s importance? What? Take another subject; physics for example. In physics, students who excel and enjoy the study and application of physics can easily learn more about how this field can eventually turn into a career. Perhaps the student might work for NASA, an aerospace company, or transition into an engineering field.
So, what can a student who is talented in expressing themselves through the written word look forward to? Perhaps they can write a book… hardly a dream that will likely turn into a lucrative career. The “go to job” for those who are talented at extracting ideas and stories from the mundane struggles of daily living has been contributing to a news organization, a reporter, a journalist, a columnist.
The problem now is that this industry is contracting at a frightening pace. The medium of print media is dying a painful death while online news sources have yet to employ the volume of writers that have existed in print media organizations.
So, what does the english teacher tell his/her star pupil? “I know you are a fantastic writer, but unless you are one of the lucky few who can piece together a fantastic novel with a highly marketable subject plot, you might want to keep looking for another talent you might possess.”
“The American Journalism Review estimates that 15 percent of the nation’s newspaper newsroom jobs were lost in 2008 as news consumerscontinued to gravitate to online sources and as traditional revenue streams dried up; so far this year, major newspapers in Denver and Seattle have folded altogether.”
- New York Times, April 14th, 2009
Now, these can seem like frightening times for english teachers. Of course you know what you are teaching must be valuable; however, you simply can’t put a finger on how developing proper written communication skills can be as lucrative as it once was.
But… don’t kick yourself too soon. The art of writing and the jobs stemming from the talent is certainly not dead. As a matter of fact, right now communication across the globe is on hyper-speed. The same technology that appears to be killing the writers’ largest employer is also creating an infrastructure that should eventually sustain the livelihoods of many more. The technology is there, yet the application and connection to the world is constantly being refined.
Vocabulary is changing, writing structures are altering just enough to make the change from the front page of a newspaper to the landing page directed from a google search query.
So, yes, these are certainly awkward times when an english teacher may be at a loss for words when a student asks where they might be able to apply their writing talents once graduating from college. However, rest assured, communication is as vital as ever and jobs that revolve around the written word will again be a viable option for your students.
A great step to take now is to learn more about developing your teaching techniques and deepening your teaching toolbox. Request information from schools offering master’s degree programs in education.