I've always loved English. Since I was a kid, it has been my favorite and best subject. It has always been easy for me to grasp, and I enjoy it quite a bit, which is why I made the decision to major in English Education. The idea of combining my love of English with my desire to make a difference in the lives of others excites me, and I can't wait to see how the future pans out. In the meantime, I'll be taking a plethora of literature classes, learning a load of grammar rules, and writing a wonderful amount of papers (exciting, I know). I'll also be coming up with excuses for all of the times people ask me to do their work for them. It happens more than you might think, so I've compiled a list of things that English majors cannot (nor want) to do.
1. Write Your Papers and Essays
I love writing papers, so long as they're mine. I am not going to use my time and energy to write a paper that you could very easily do yourself. It's neither logical nor legal. Also, I have my own assignments (and a life) that prevent me from doing your work. If I can make the time to do my work, so can you. Several months ago I received this message via Instagram from a kid who goes to the high school I graduated from. I've never spoken to the dude in my life, and now he wants English help? Nope.
By the way, I am not "like a great at English;" I am great. Stop asking English majors to write your papers and write them yourself.
2. Do Your English Homework
This differentiates from writing papers; this refers to all of those grammar worksheets that you hate. Asking me to do your worksheets won't get you anywhere. I hate them too. I'm still in school, which means I'm still learning. Asking me to do your homework does not guarantee that it will be completely correct. There will be wrong answers, which you will blame me for, and I'm not up for that.
You'll learn more if you do these yourself; I promise!
3. Fix Your Citations
I get it. Citations are difficult. They're confusing and all of the rules make them hard to understand, especially considering that they're always changing. They're frustrating for us too, so we can't do those for you. We're doing our own.
Personally, I think English is awesome. There are so many unique stories and interesting facets that intrigue me and make me want to keep learning more. For those of you who don't agree with me or prefer some ridiculous subject like math over English, that's totally fine. I'm not asking you to adore English; I'm just asking you to stop making it a pain for those of us who do.
