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Power of Language Essay

William Quiros

Los Angeles Pacific University

ENGL 420: Principles of language

Dr. Rankin Gonzalez

April 25, 2022

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Power of Language Essay

In understanding the critical importance of the power of language we must realize how

important of a role it takes in our daily lives. In realizing the impact that this has on our whole

world it must be inculcated at a young age. Having a deeper understanding of language

development will help the student grow into an effective person that can have an impact in the

real world. In this examination we will see the importance of language study, its moral

imperative to develop within a student, and practical application in the classroom.

The importance of language study for students and their futures

According to Faleti (2017) “A solid foundation in literacy can be an essential aspect of

career advancement or success. For many corporate or office positions, a requirement of the

application process is to write a cover letter along with submitting a resume.” (para. 6). Having a

strong solid foundation in language and literacy plays a critical part and becoming an upstanding

person within the Civilized world. without this language development the student can face a

myriad of problems and can be successful in their careers and in life. From the beginning of the

child's life and as a student, language plays a critical role in developing a well-educated child for

the future. According to McNamara (2017) Language improves learning, words are tools, putting

your words out there externalizes your thoughts.” (McNamara, 2017, 12:58). Additionally, the

author says, “explaining text, explaining your thoughts, discussing, and writing essays are all

things that improve your learning.” (McNamara, 2017, 13:20). These are the building blocks of

making an excellent student that will achieve great goals and accomplish big scholastic dreams

all throughout their school, potential undergraduate, and graduate careers. It is critical as

educators to start early in the students' lives. This must be a collaborative affair with the parents

to build the foundation of learning experiences that will strengthen their language study skills.
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A teachers’ moral imperative the develop literacy in their students

According to Steckel it is the responsibility of the educator to Establish a culture that

supports literacy oh, explicitly teach skills, create a compelling classroom library for independent

reading, confer with students individually during independent reading time, talk about books,

and write about books. It is these moral imperatives that help the students feel comfortable and

know that they are in a safe environment. This will give them the confidence and the opportunity

to continue to grow in developing their literacy. Additionally, according to Davila (2016) “The

21st century skills can be summarized by the 4Cs: communication, critical thinking, creativity,

and collaboration.” (para 3). These are critical foundations to use to develop across any subject

being taught in the school system. Using all these skills are the basic foundations for real life

scenarios and will equip the student with the tools to be able to excel in school and throughout

their scholastic career and possibly expose them to potential college opportunities.

Key ideas in applications for my future role as a classroom teacher

Key ideas I would implement in the classroom as a future teacher would be to provide a

safe environment that is free of judgment While simultaneously providing opportunities with

books and an open conversation about them to be able to provide writing opportunities and

create and develop critical thinking skills. According to Teaching Strategies (2021) mentions

some ways to support language learning literacy and development for your students. These

examples are: capture children's interest before you read, introduce vocabulary during a

read-aloud, highlight children's favorite books, establish read-aloud routines, read in small

groups, support children who are learning two languages.” Establishing these habits early on can

be impactful in the young student’s life and these fundamentals will give them a much better

opportunity to be successful in all aspects of Academia. In addressing the ethical and spiritual
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implications of language study to prepare a child for the future. The Bible tells us in Matthew 28

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will

find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28–30

NRSV). Spiritually and ethically if we are called by our father to be Christ-like then we must

make the burden of language development for these students as easy as possible. Making it

difficult and over complicated does not facilitate the learning experience and it creates frustration

and regression for the student. Using Christ's measure of kindness, we must meet the students

where they are rather than where we want them to be and realize that all of our students need

individualized attention and not all are the same. The effort has to come from us because our

students do not know any better and it is our job to instill that compassion, grace and kindness

that Christ has given us.

Conclusion

The power of language has a much larger effect in our lives than we ever thought

possible. It can affect how we learn, see, and understand the world. Literacy is something that

should be implemented early on in a child's life and is critical for better literacy development.

Examining this we have seen the importance of language study, its moral imperative to develop

within a student, and practical application in the classroom. It is imperative that we walk in with

this with the heart of Christ. He is the only one on Earth that has been able to give the grace and

love that we all need. As educators we must emulate this Christ-like behavior because our

students will be coming from all walks of life. No matter what we will deal with we must lean on

Him to guide us though I'm leaning in to teaching these kids the foundations of developing

literacy and truly showing them the power of language.

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References

BibleGateway.com: A searchable online Bible in over 150 versions and 50 languages. (2022).

Retrieved 25 April 2022, from https://www.biblegateway.com/

Davila, S., Davila, S., Wilson, R., Bledsoe, J., & Bledsoe, J. (2016). 21st century skills and the

English language classroom. Retrieved 25 April 2022, from

https://www.english.com/blog/21st-century-skills/

Faleti, Yemi. (2017). The Importance of Literacy in the 21st Century. (2022). Retrieved 25 April

2022, from https://www.stevenson.edu/online/about-us/news/importance-literacy

Steckel, Dr Barbara. Six Guiding Principles to Help Classroom Teachers Boost Student Literacy

| Lesley University. (2022). Retrieved 25 April 2022, from

https://lesley.edu/article/six-guiding-principles-to-help-classroom-teachers-boost-student-

literacy

Strategies, T. (2021, October 18). 8+ Ways to Support Literacy Skills Development. Teaching

Strategies. Retrieved April 25, 2022, from

https://teachingstrategies.com/blog/8-ways-to-support-literacy-skills-development/

TEDx Talks. (2017, May 5). The Power of Words and the Secrets of Language | Danielle

McNamara | TEDxASU [Video]. YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSdJYhID_AQ