Where did Grammar Go?

Will it be back
soon?
By Lauren Redding EST 4:28 PM EST

Grammar has been a part of school

curriculum for years. Within the last 20 years the
importance of grammar has declined, by show of
how well students understand and use grammar.
The teaching of grammar has declined in recent
years as well as the understanding of grammar in
students has become almost extinct. Through the
years students and teachers in turn have lost the
love for grammar and have lost their focus on the importance of grammar. Only recently with the
Common Core in schools has grammar resurfaced back in the curriculum of schools. But now
even teachers are not prepared to teach, and the students are not prepared to learn.
People are under the idea that learning grammar is too hard and unnecessary for
students. Therefore, except for the occasional English teacher, grammar has been forgotten in
the classroom. So why is grammar important? What are the benefits of grammar and bringing it
back into our lives? Grammar is important in helping us to use our speech and writing in a clear,
precise way. Grammar is what makes the words and phrases people craft into the real art,
displaying what the authors really mean, and how they want it said. On the flip side of the same
coin, it helps students to analyze deeper texts, read, write, listen, and speak better. Grammar is
meant to be used in all aspects of language arts instruction.
Language is in all of us, it is one of the first things we learn from a young age. Teachers
need to build up their students confidence when it comes to grammar. I would bet that any
student who feels confident in what they are doing would be more willing to learn the concept
happily. When we trade out the thoughts of this is too hard to I believe I can do this learning
becomes a lot easier, and most particularly with subjects like grammar that are labeled too hard
in students minds.
The thing with grammar is that everyone knows at least some grammar in their speech
already. We learned it growing up, and because we heard it all the time we understood how to
use it while speaking. There is a disconnect, however, between what we know cognitively and
using it in our written language.
Grammar needs to be applied to students and practiced. There needs to be time to grasp all the
concepts, and the materials need to be vast. Not just in the writing part of English education. If
[students dont learn the rules] in context, theyre not going to carry them over. Teachers need
to think outside of the box, and make the grammar lessons more applicable for the students. As
well as, show them that students know more than they think they do about grammar.
 Grammar is a tool that every person deserves to know and with proper instruction, it
could benefit society in general because people would know how to express themselves more
clearly. We must teach grammar...circumstances forced me to acquire, apply, and practice skills
that I never used before. That is a lot of pressure on teachers to help students to learn grammar
correctly. I think that grammar needs to be introduced each year repeatedly. There needs to be an
early foundation for grammar, so that when students are told to write papers the grammar that
already comes to them naturally will become easier to pull out and more natural in the
student/writer.

The craft of writing takes time. Why should grammar be any different? It is an art form in
its own right and should be studied as such. English should be given its proper respect, and we
should focus more on refining the craft. And being okay with taking time so students, if not all
students can fully grasp and comprehend the information that teachers force into their brains.
Students need to learn grammar to communicate better and to have more success later in life in
their future professions. The stigma for grammar needs to be forgotten and changed into
something to be looked forward to. Grammar is not the enemy but a friend, which schools have
neglected to teach for far too long. This day in age, almost anything imaginable is possible, why
cant learning grammar be the same?