I grew up in rural Georgia in the southeastern United States. Like most children who grew up to be English teachers, I loved to read. And when I would tell my momma that I was bored, she replied, “go write.” So I did.
When I left my small town at eighteen-years-old, I knew I wanted to be an English teacher. I didn’t begin with a passion for English grammar and linguistics. In fact, when I started teaching, I had no idea what linguistics was, and grammar scared the all-living daylights out of me. I became a teacher because I loved to read and to write. At the time, I couldn’t imagine that a better understanding of grammar and linguistics could also make me a better reader and writer.
After years of teaching, traveling, and talking to strangers, I realized that language is not a neutral concept. People believe a lot of things about language and the people who use it.
I knew language was more complicated than simple stereotypes and dead rules in musty books. I just didn’t know how to tell people what my gut knew.
So I kept going to school and reading and listening and learning. After three degrees in English Education, including a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, and over twenty years of teaching English, I’m ready: let’s do some grammar, y’all.
