For the Love of Words
“So you’re an English major? What are you going to do with that? Teach?” I had grown pretty accustomed to this line of questioning during my undergraduate—and graduate—years. Now as a teacher and advisor for seniors who are bombarded every day by demanding college applications and overwhelming expectations, I still remember the angst that would creep into my head and heart when I was asked to declare “what I wanted to be when I grew up.”
About midway through my junior year in college, I became vaguely aware that several of my friends were a bit more deliberate in their post-graduation plans than I was. Some mentioned job fairs or internships or interviews. I was a Liberal Arts major and I had finished most of my basic requirements by this point. For one dark day, I was an accounting major. That switch was based on a newspaper clipping my mother shared with me describing accounting as an “excellent field for women.” I actually changed my major and scheduled a whole new crop of classes based on numbers, numbers, and more numbers and then remembered later that night that I didn’t really like numbers. I liked words. I liked complex meanings behind words. Back to Liberal Arts I went, this time with an emphasis in English literature. But what did I want to do with all of this humanities-based knowledge? Anything but teach, that was my standard answer. Graduation Day crept closer, and my anxiety crept higher. Finally, I happened to be home one weekend during the spring before graduation, and I found myself in the high school English classroom of my former teacher, Kathy Scarbrough. I watched her wave her magic all over that room in her analysis of imagery, metaphors, and more. I left in a trance. Maybe I did want to teach. Maybe.
Of course, teach I did. My path as an English major has led me through almost 30 years of teaching classes ranging from fifth grade language arts to Speech and Drama to AP English to Journalism and more. But I can tell you firsthand about more people that have benefitted from an education in the humanities who have chosen other careers besides teaching. I’m actually married to an English major, who works for a pharmaceutical corporation and writes for the Outdoor Section of The Meridian Star. Brad and I love to read and write on our own time, and we spend lots of hours--and money-- in bookstores. Our daughter Tate (also an English major!) is currently in the Integrated Marketing Communications graduate program at Ole Miss. She interviews famous writers and sportscasters and CEOs, and she writes articles about them and their unique contributions for an online publication. Tate wants to work in the communications department of a major sports team or travel the world and write about her adventures. Our son Dan is a biology major (every family has one!), minoring in Communications. Each semester as he fills his schedule with classes like Organic Chemistry and Cellular Biology, he always includes a literature class of some kind, for his enjoyment and relaxation. As he prepares for veterinary school in a couple of years, he works as a part-time reporter for Mississippi State University’s Reflector. Dan has covered everything from football to art exhibits to human interest pieces to op-eds, and his life is enriched because of the variety of his chosen disciplines. The paths for my family are different from my own, but they all stem from a love of and appreciation for the Arts and Humanities and a need to connect with others through, you guessed it, words. Come to think of it, watching my children and my students write their very own stories in life has been one of my greatest rewards. I guess I’ve finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up!