This week in English classes

Our teacher held a number of class preparations for yearly exams using exam papers from previous years, under exam conditions.

My relationship with 'English' as a subject has varied throughout the years. In primary school, English was simply reading comprehension and writing easy things like expositions and narratives. Being an avid reader from a young age, English came naturally to me, and I excelled in it.

In high school, the focus in 'English' as a subject changes. In primary school, it was simple things like similes and comprehension in primary school, where my thirst for reading gave me an edge.

Throughout high school, the amount of books I read slowly decreased. I do not know why. I just... stopped, sometimes going months without reading a book.

This negatively impacted my life. Books, I find, make you a better writer as you are exposed to different author's styles of writing and telling a story. It also broadens your horizon, introducing you to new ideas. All these effects make you a well-learnt, a well-read, a well-educated person.

Anyways, due to my decreased book reading, I lost my natural flair for writing, struggling to write a good essay. Whilst I could write it correctly, following all the basic criteria, it did not come to me with the natural ease writing used to. 

My essays were-and still are- rather crude in comparison to those who truly excel in English. It is not well-written. Sure, it does follow textbook standards for essay writing, touching upon the points with quotes to reinforce my points and whatnot, but it lacks the sophistication and edge one recognises in an essay written by someone who truly understands the essay topic inside out.

I also did not get my mind enriched as much as I used to, due to my decline in book reading. I have not been exposed to many great ideas or scenarios unlike one who is well-read.

Anyways, the tests the teacher gave us- two were written responses to a few questions about a poem, and one was am essay response to a question about "Macbeth."

I surprised myself by doing well- my essay was actually kind of plumped out and nicely filled in, like one written by one who truly understood the text. The poems were within my aptitude.

We peer marked these tests, and my marker, Madison, volunteered to read my response out to the class. The teacher did not ask for volunteers, Madison took it upon herself to do so. As she did, I received a few looks of "woah" from my fellow classmates, and it made me happy. It had been a few years since anything like this has happened.

Given the overall positive response I had to the tests, maybe my English skills are salvageable.