"Oh you're an English major? Like reading, and writing, and stuff, right?" Let me stop you right there. If you think that's what being an English major is all about, then it's a good thing you aren't one. Yes, English is reading, and writing, and "stuff," but it's also language arts, literature, grammar, spelling, etc. It's teaching kids the difference between "your" and "you're," or "to" and "too," because God knows there are full grown adults who don't even know this sh*t.

It's teaching kids what a comma is, where it goes, and how it's used so they can tell their audience in writing that they like cooking, their family, and their dog, rather than cooking their family and their dog. It's teaching children how to write an essay, form a paragraph, and create a thesis statement so they can produce a well-written essay for college applications in the future. Being an English major means making a difference in someone's life because they struggle with reading or spelling, and making sure they know they aren't stupid just because they're struggling.

Honestly, I can't name all the elements on the periodic table, and I can't divide 74.6 by 4.8 in my head, but I can tell you what an Oxford comma is, and I can tell you the difference between "affect," and "effect." A lot of people don't understand what the point is when it comes to learning proper grammar, and they are fine with telling you about the dog they "seen" earlier that day (that one really makes me cringe).

Being an English major is rewarding, and informative, and difficult as hell some days, but the thought of getting to mold the minds of children in the future is enough to keep me going. I know I can't make sure everyone always uses the correct forms of "there," or to make sure their paragraphs consist of five to seven sentences with a transition, but I can make sure I do my best to teach them how to do so.