Grammar

This is a small reflection for an Applied Grammar course. The creative piece is at the bottom.

In my experience, high school English teachers are given a lengthy and impossible job to provide so many students the possibility to appreciate the field of English. The majority of my English teachers throughout high school were average; in that, they often stuck to a scheduled and “easy” curricula. This program allowed them the opportunity to administer easy to grade examinations of quick understanding. Unfortunately, these examinations were often single sentences and phrases that we, as students should be able to correct because of knowledge based on a chapter we read and the single class period direction. We were not allowed the chance to apply the material we should have “learned”. I think that I am one, using too many symbolic quotes to show satire, and two, targeting a larger problem; but, one of the key issues in high school English classes is application. This application of materials learned will make that difference in retained material as well as, perhaps, making a difference in the students future education.
I think that high school students should write more often. Yep, I said it and any high school student would burn me at the stake if they knew. Yet I believe this because I think that, in a way, the notion of writing more, improves writing. I think that proper writing must be criticized and that writing just for the sake of writing, especially in modern times where society accepts kul stylez of txt, is brutally wrong. So I disagree that writing aimlessly and without criticism improves writing, but I do think that with feedback and direction, writing will improve writing. This leads beautifully into the difference between English teachers from a high school to the English instructors of a university. Arguably, high school teachers see more students and carry a larger course load. I’m sure that this could be heavily debated or proven through statistics, however in my opinion, the high school teacher has a larger work load. This is only relevant because I think this is the reason that English teachers are unable to apply the material. Teachers at the high school level are not able to assign proper application of course material because effectively administering materials that require application is too much for a high school teacher .
In my opinion, high school English teachers couldn’t ask hundreds of students to write even a single page of application and expect that the teacher could provide quality, timely feedback. And how could you ask that of someone who gets paid what they make. We look to university instructors, who have less of a work load, to provide the true feedback and criticism that would do the English field justice. Writing will improve writing at the university level, however it may not at the high school level.

Shear Bad Luck
“How do I get my hands on that laser cutter like you got, Hank?” questions the heavily armored, massive brute, and slightly English, Hyde as the team prepares to jump from the dropship.
“S’pose three years of diamond cutting for the Interstellar Mining Company ought to do it…” replies Hank as he straps down his satellite radio and picks up his 50 pound, two handed laser cutter.
“Maybe I’ll just kill someone who’s already got one, not you o’course Hanky” says Hyde followed by a bellowing chuckle.
The drop doors open and the team prepares to jump down to the highly organic planet, Shear. The mission is simple: hunt and kill the monster. The team is made up of four of the most elite hunters known to man and each of them has a specific role to play. Hyde, the heavily armored, heavily armed, and heavily scarred assault specialist that fights with fire. When hunting a 15 foot, fire breathing dino-beast, he could still be the most frightening predator on the planet. Abe, a well-known cowboy and bounty hunter turned tracker who uses tracking darts to tag and follow his target before immobilizing the prey. Hank, a simple southern style man that specializes in support for the team. Using a laser shield, Hank can protect his teammates defensively but also can call a targeted missile strike that deals heavy damage. Lazarus, an experimental scientist that has created a device that returns life to the dead. Classified as a medic, Lazarus reenergizes his fallen teammates and provides ranged attacks using a silenced sniper rifle.
The team jumps from the dropship to parachute down to the monster’s last known location. Upon landing, the team takes off, following the massive tracks the monster has left behind. Today the team targets a Goliath; an enormous, pointed scaled, fire breathing monster that is as versatile as it is deadly. The monster can climb almost any surface and can charge its opponents with speed and force. To make Goliath even more dangerous, after feasting on enough of Shear’s wildlife, Goliath can evolve and grow in size and wrath exponentially.
The hunters are persistent about tracking the monster and continue to come across the corpses of devoured wildlife. As the hunters are following the monster’s trail, suddenly, Hank steps on the hidden and enormous carnivorous plant and it engulfs him.
“It’s got me!” cries Hank, looking for help from his teammates.
Hustling back, Hyde lifts his left arm and shoots a stream of flames from his forearm mounted flamethrower. The plant reacts to the fire and springs open, releasing Hank to enact his revenge. After pulverizing the plant with his laser cutter, Hank receives a healing boost from the vocal Lazarus. ‘Healing is possible!’ The commotion has attracted a small pack of trapjaws, a combination of an oversized komodo dragon and a rhinoceros, with the mentality of a hyena, and a mouth of an anglerfish.
“Throwing a stasis grenade!” hollers Abe, “That oughta restrict their movement.” Taking their tactical positions, Lazarus jetpacks to a nearby cliff edge as Hank hustles to aid Abe. Without hesitating, Hyde charges forward toward the pack of beasts and begins firing his two-handed minigun with moderate accuracy. Gun fire erupts as Abe and Lazarus begin their barrage of bullets targeting the pack of trapjaws who spring into action as they pounce and snap at their attackers. Hyde’s personal shield continues to protect him from the onslaught of the agile fiends, while Abe is protected by the shield that Hank continues to provide. The pack is quick and has the numbers, so Hank is forced to pull out his weapon which leaves Abe vulnerable. The trapjaws get a few good chances at Abe and Hank but are eventually killed. The team regroups and Lazarus performs a healing boost to bring the team back to new.
The hunters again take off after the monster by means of the remaining tracks as they see, off in the distance, a grouping of birds fly away indicative of the monsters presence. Seconds later the team hears the erupting roar of the Goliath and they know the hunt just got so much more difficult as the monster has just evolved.

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