who want to focus on communication, reading and writing in all contexts. Photo courtesy of UConn.
The curtains are blue, the wallpaper is yellow and the floorboards have a heartbeat. But why did the author mention it?
Everyone consumes media. We all read, listen to music or watch TV. We exchange text messages and listen to voicemails. There is no escape from consuming stories made by different people. We are influenced by the authors of those stories all the time, so it is important to know exactly what they are saying.
In all forms of media, there are encoded messages. In English classes, we learn how to interpret those messages. We widen our reference bank of media and weave interconnected webs of influences to make sense of how authors see the world. English classes teach you to zoom out and look at both the “what” and the “why” of communication.
As a writer by trade, I have a personal investment in the English education of students across America. I want to be understood without filtering my words. But we are currently in a literacy crisis and America is facing a teacher shortage. Our children who aren’t learning how to read are turning into adults that do not know how to read.
In English classes, we learn that there is no such thing as “too deep.” We learn to wake up to the world around us and sharpen our observational skills. There is always a hidden meaning behind every author’s words, even if the author didn’t always intend it. We are taught to consider the meaning behind color choices, plot, narration and setting because they all matter. A good author makes active choices about every single detail of their stories, but a great author also makes subconscious choices that impact their story. Similarly, a good reader skims texts and summarizes for meaning; but a great reader takes a fine-toothed comb to everything that they read and experience. And everyone should aim to be a great reader.
English classes teach us how other people understand reality. They teach interpersonal skills. It may be boring and time-consuming, but it is incredibly necessary. Paying attention to the meaning of the words of the world that spins around you makes you a part of that world. Everyone needs to be taught how to communicate and therefore create community — even STEM students.
So what does a STEM student have to do with English? They communicate, too. They read and write emails. They seek to understand the world around them, even if the STEM mindset looks to understand it through a different avenue. It is one of problem-solving, analysis and breaking down the world into smaller, more digestible parts. But are the English mindset and the STEM mindset really that different?
I say no. A well-rounded individual is one who solves problems through both a bottom-up and top-down approach. The best students consider both the big picture and small details. They take the tools that they learn in English classes and apply them to every aspect of their lives. They make art out of science and science out of art.
Alchemy is the precursor to chemistry for a reason. The leaps in logic that are necessary to make scientific discoveries are an art. To create something new, you need to be a creative. And to be a creative is to understand the references; to understand the “why” behind what you do. The scientific method is made up of rigid steps, but the first of those steps is to make an observation. You need to pay attention and to ask questions about the story behind the world around you. The scientific process needs people who want context for what they observe. Well-rounded students are taught to look for the “why” of everything.
When you become a person who looks for the “why”, you become more empathetic. You become more self-aware and able to pinpoint your own personal “why”s too. So take English classes. Read and ruminate. Interpret life instead of just living it.
The curtains are blue because a character felt isolated when they picked them out. The wallpaper is yellow in an attempt to make a character feel happy and sane. The heartbeat under the floorboards is loud and all-consuming because a character is surrounded by their choices. We are all characters that make up our reality, so we should learn to pay more attention to our choices through English classes.