Your Student Does Not Have to Love English Class

“I hate English.”

I’ve heard this more times than I can count.

And my response is usually something along the lines of:

“Okay. How come?”

I don't need a student to love English before I can work with them. In fact, sometimes accepting that they don't like it is a pretty good place to start.

Some students are math and science kids. They look at an essay approximately the way I look at complicated math: I understand that somebody needs to know how to do this. I accept that it has a purpose. I would simply prefer that somebody not be me.

Fair enough.

I don't particularly like grammar, and I'm an English tutor. I can teach it. I know why it matters. I also think working through grammar exercises can be a pain in the neck.

Not liking something and not being able to do it are two very different things.

So What Does “I Hate English” Actually Mean?

That's why I ask.

Sometimes the student really does just dislike the subject. But very often, once we start talking, “I hate English” turns into something else.

“I never know what the teacher wants.”

“I don't know what I'm supposed to write.”

“It takes me forever.”

“I don't understand this book.”

“I have ideas, but I can't get them onto the paper.”

“What's the point of this?”

Or sometimes:

“Why are we reading another book about people who have absolutely nothing to do with me?”

That last student may have a point.

When a student tells me they hate English, I'm much more interested in finding out why than convincing them they're wrong.

Because if what they actually hate is feeling confused, overwhelmed, or constantly behind, that's something we can work with.

You Don't Have to Love It. You Do Have to Learn How to Do It.

This is where I don't lower my expectations simply because a student doesn't like the subject.

I keep them high—but realistic.

If a student is capable of writing a solid paragraph, we're going to work toward writing that paragraph. If the teacher expects an essay that the student is capable of producing, I'm not going to change the assignment into something easier just so we can call it done.

But I absolutely will change the route we take to get there.

We might talk through the student's ideas before they write. We might break the assignment into much smaller pieces. We might figure out exactly what the prompt is asking before we worry about the answer. For a student with ADHD, we may need to get six competing thoughts out of their head and somewhere they can actually see them.

The goal isn't to pretend the work is good when it isn't.

Honestly, I have too much respect for my students to help them fake a grade. What would they learn from that?

That doesn't always mean an A, especially at first. Sometimes a student who has been struggling needs to learn how to produce solid, complete work consistently before we're worried about perfect scores.

I want the grade to belong to the student—to know they earned it, understand how they got there, and know they can do it again.

Sometimes You Have to Read Things You Don't Like

I'm also not going to argue that every book assigned in English class is going to change a student's life.

Sometimes you're going to read something you don't particularly like.

That's okay too.

There is value in learning how to deal with something that isn't your favorite: I have to do this. How do I understand it, do it well, and move on with my life?

That skill is going to come in handy long after English class.

I also think there is some value in knowing the stories that keep showing up around us.

Take Shakespeare.

A student certainly doesn't have to become a Shakespeare addict. But knowing something about Romeo and Juliet gives you another layer when you encounter yet another story about two people from opposing families falling in love. Knowing Macbeth or Hamlet means references to those stories don't sail straight over your head.

You start recognizing where some of these ideas came from—or at least where they've been hanging around for the last few hundred years.

That doesn't mean our reading lists should remain frozen in time. Students deserve literature from different cultures, backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.

But reading something you wouldn't have chosen for yourself isn't automatically a waste of time.

Reading for Pleasure Is Different

Here's where I become slightly less willing to accept “I hate reading.”

Not because I think you should stand over a thirteen-year-old holding a novel and insist that they HAVE FUN.

Please don't. I beg of you. 🙂

If anything, that may be an excellent way to make sure the student never voluntarily picks up a book again.

Instead, give them opportunities.

Take them to a library or bookstore and let them wander.

Let them read graphic novels.

Let them read fantasy, sports books, biographies, mysteries, comics, weird nonfiction, books about airplanes, manga, history, horses, mythology, or whatever strange little rabbit hole currently has their attention.

You don't have to love their choice. You don't even have to understand their choice.

Within whatever boundaries your family has for appropriate reading, let them explore.

And then try not to breathe down their neck.

I grew up surrounded by books. I'm the daughter of an English teacher and the granddaughter of an English teacher. I was read to as a child, and reading was simply part of life.

But even in my own family, different kinds of books opened different doors.

One of my kids encountered Shakespeare when they were young through a book that retold the plays with cartoon strips and snarky comments. This was not solemn, reverential Shakespeare.

It was fun.

That familiarity eventually helped turn that kid into almost as much of a Shakespeare addict as I am.

Nobody had to begin with, “Here is Hamlet. You will appreciate it.”

Sometimes you just need to leave the door open.

Your Student Doesn't Have to Become an English Kid

There are probably no students who will choose to spend Saturday afternoon analyzing a novel—unless the paper is due Monday.

Fair enough.

They may never voluntarily write an essay after graduation. They may always prefer chemistry, engineering, computers, art, athletics, or approximately anything else to English class.

That's fine.

English is a set of skills as well as a school subject.

Your student needs to be able to understand what they're reading. They need to communicate an idea clearly. They need to explain what they mean and support what they're saying. They need to be able to look at an assignment and figure out how to begin.

Those skills matter whether or not they ever develop strong feelings about Shakespeare.

And if your student doesn't love English, you haven't failed.

You don't need to persuade them to love it.

Give them opportunities. Keep expectations high but realistic. Find another route when the first one isn't working. Let them dislike an assignment without turning that dislike into a family crisis.

Because if a student eventually tells me:

“I still hate English. But I'm not afraid of it anymore, and I know what to do.”

I'll take that.

That's a win.