Teachers and Culture

Re “It’s Just Grammar. Whom Really Cares,” Commentary, May 7: When some of my students misapply the word “like,” or use “goes” when they mean “says,” or raise their voices at the end of a sentence that is not a question, or conclude a statement with the word “whatever,” I hear an insecurity with both their language and themselves. The solution is to call these instances to their attention and to impress on them, respectfully, that anything worth saying is worth saying well. Our job as teachers is not to reshape ourselves to fit the surrounding culture but to become forces in shaping that culture.

Dale Salwak

Professor of English

Citrus College, Glendora