Why the English curriculum should be modified according to the students opinions

Although many say that the English and Literature curriculum is thoroughly educational, several students also find it dull and unexciting. Literature should be a subject where students can cultivate their artistic interests and emotional expressions. Numerous students enjoy the subject because it can encourage open-mindedness and provide new and diverse ways of thinking. However, many do not enjoy the class and required curriculum for each grade. The English curriculum should be modified to better suit student interests. 
Throughout the course of high school, the number of students who want to major in English decreased by 10.6%, as claimed by the National Center for Education Services. 
According to a study conducted by Literacy Inc., 33% of U.S. high school graduates never read a book after high school.
 To many students, English is not the most enjoyable class  not because of the workload or the reading and writing, but the content that is being assigned to them. 
While interviewing multiple ninth graders at North Cross school, many agreed that the essay writing was one of the worst aspects of English. Eve Heletz ‘28 said, “Writing essays is time consuming and tedious, and it’s one of my least favorite activities that we do in English.” Other ninth graders said the same, additionally mentioning how they would have preferred writing essays about a book or a topic they enjoyed instead of a school-required book.  “Mandatory assignments feel like a heavier weight,” Micah Evans ‘28 said, and many students agree. 
As stated by Eagle Angle Opinions, “Students may much rather prefer writing an essay over what they want, opposed to receiving a specific writing prompt where the creativity is limited.” This is because as teenagers and young adults, our minds despise limitations and restrictions that feel pressuring and stressing to finish our work by a deadline. Teachers and other authoritative figures may not understand how a student may feel because the curriculum is what has been set by The Virginia Board of Education or by the Board of Directors or even by the teacher themselves, but students agree that the English program could be improved through multiple measures. 
Firstly, an opinionated essay on a book of choice for each student would be an optimal replacement for analytical essays on required books, as well as the freedom to express themselves with no criticism, compared to unoriginal, regulated essays. Secondly, several people have stated that reading in class is a prolonged activity that many do not benefit from. Individual reading times may be more helpful to the understanding of a student. Thirdly, although this may not apply to North Cross School, the use of mandatory rubrics, the grading of essays, or other things may be subjective to the opinion of the teacher. If the essay does not coincide with the teacher's opinion, the grade, the critique, and the feedback may be affected for personal reasons. Therefore, if a student feels impacted by the teacher's personal remarks and opinions, the teacher should reflect and attempt to be unbiased with a student's work. 
Although all of these “improvements” may not be realistic and also may not apply to all, they are formulated from the feedback of students and alumni in the United States, as well as students here, at North Cross. English and literature is an amazing subject that should be enjoyed by all, while also having the benefits of a true educational experience. 

“I love memorization because it is easy and simple, and I also like how the curriculum lets us read a variety of books, " Eve Heletz ‘28 said. “For example The Book Thief, I never would have read it if it wasn’t required, and I actually enjoyed it.”
The opinion of international students is important as well, due to our schools' inclusive and diverse community. “As an international student, I like how the teacher is always there to help the students if they don’t understand, and how helpful they are during class and give good advice to improve our English,” said Kevin Tran ‘26, “but, I think English class could be improved by watching more document movies and have some vocabulary.”
When Head of English Department Polly Jones was asked about the current curriculum, she responded by saying that the students' education was prioritized first over what the students preferred. “A lot of the curriculum is based on the development of the student. For example, about ten years ago, we created a document called the writing initiative, where each grade level educator from kindergarten through 12th said “this is what kind of essays they need to write and the kind of grammar they need to study.”
Overall, although students may not be able to modify the definite curriculum, students can object to unfair treatment of students due to biased opinions, and can also protest against unfair grading and scoring. Additionally, students can ask or suggest an additional assignment that could be added for extra credit, or a modification to a certain assignment that would allow more freedom within the assignment. ​