FOR HIGH-SCHOOL GRADUATES: What do you remember about high-school English?

My AP class read too many obscure plays and not enough of the Western canon. I remember being bored most of the time because we spent too much time reviewing the plot and not enough time talking about the significance and meaning to be found in the text. It's difficult because, even in an honors class, you have to teach to the lowest common denominator, and sometimes they can't grasp the more interesting, higher-level aspects of the reading.

I enjoyed breaking into small groups to talk about the books, especially when the discussion questions were not about plot but about meaning.

English should be required throughout high school - you can't learn if you can't read and extrapolate meaning from your reading. You can't write clearly if you haven't studied the examples of great authors. When they are well taught, English classes become a vehicle for obtaining communications and critical thinking skills, which are absolutely necessary for anyone who wants a job, ever, and for anyone who wants to be educated.

I remember playing spades in my sophomore English class because a group of us would read the books at home. Sad, huh?

All four years would be good, and what someone else mentioned regarding writing papers is dead on. I had a research paper where for the first time I had to come up with a thesis and then back it up with sources to prove or disprove it instead of just telling about someone or something and reciting facts. I did have a lot of essays to complete, so thankfully I was well prepared for college (even after playing spades!)

For wishing what might have been different - some more contemporary pieces being interspersed with the classics (I think there are more now than when I was in high school). What might work better, especially in the last few years, is literature class offerings with a specific focus - like science, social studies or art.

If you're in high school, you should take English for four years, but frankly, I don't think everyone should be forced to go through high school. The ever increasing mob that wants to remain as dumb as doorposts for their whole lives should be permitted, nay encouraged, to get out of school, so that those who enjoy learning can do so without being distracted.

My own high school experience was pretty bad. I remember once when my 11th grade teacher gave the class a list of words -- she wanted us to find the definitions then use the words in sentences. Such idiocy. I hated it then and often didn't do it, but on this one occasion I decided to do it by stringing all the sentences together into a long story. I also decided to make each sentence as long as possible.

The assignment I turned in was about ten pages long -- it was also a rather crude fantasy story in the Conan the Barbarian tradition and contained a number of naughty words like 'whore' and even 'sh it'. I didn't know that the virgin ears of my English teacher had never encountered such verbiage before -- and she was shocked, simply shocked. She wrote me a nasty note and said she'd turn me in next time if I repeated the performance.

This is the same ***** who also assigned Emerson to the class, but simultaneously announced that she knew it was boring but it was necessary to read Emerson if one wanted to go to college.

I thought Emerson was thrilling. Go figure.

Another thing I never liked about high school English (I could write a book!) was that they often assigned books that adolescents could barely comprehend. The Scarlet Letter, The Lord of the Flies, A Separate Peace, The Heart of Darkness -- all great books, but beyond the reach of most teens. Assigned books should be some of the great classics that young people that age can actually get something out of -- yes, including Dickens and Steinbeck!

The only helpful English class I ever had was when I went to a school where they didn't have AP English, so they put me in a class with seniors when I was in 10th grade. That pushed me to think harder than I'd ever done in an English class.

What do I remember? Reading some great works like: Black Boy, To Kill a Mockingbird, Beowulf, Shakespeare, The Martian Chronicles. It also got me into writing poetry, which I got published in the high school literary magazine. The most helpful thing I remember learning was how to write a proper bibliography. English should definately be required all four years.

It was actually a negative for the majority. A major distraction and imbued with romantic literature about the wrong things. If i am interpeting your sentiment correctly, I spent far far too much time with famous writers and not as much with math, foreign languages and politics, job and career counseling etc. Busing, bad food, and sports were a huge budget buster for local schools systems. Hell, it is worse today. They should have training in interpeting corrupt and wretched media like CNN and how it is organized and who are the decision makers. Useless, untimely and bs. Either become learn and master a trade or engineering, accounting, political science and career development. You must eat and somehow succeed. A little goes a long way regarding the luxury time wasters. Life is real and young people need intensive preparation and sports stars and movies stars are for a very small aggregate.

Beowulf & Grendel because I hated it.

The Egg as a short story because I loved it.

Writing and grammar because I was good at it.

Yes it was very helpful to me and made me dream of different worlds and places and pulled me away from the tiny hometown I grew up in a vaccum.

I think that English is very important to collegiate life and one's career. The number one thing that one has to do is to write and to be understood. If you are in America that means that speaking and writing English is tantamount to your success. Every other subject depends upon one's comprehension of the language. No other subject cross relates like English. It is necessary. I am an English teacher now because of this fact.

I took 4 years of English - yes you should have to. I wish there was more focus on research papers, or term papers - better to prepare me for college. If I didn't have to read Lord of the Flies it would be so much better too.

First it was required all four years. Second the only thing I wish was different was the focus on Stienbeck. I do not care for his books and we read at least one every year.

honestly, nothing. Except reading Great Expectations and Lord of the Flies.

both bored me to death.