For my entire high school and college career everyone always said "we need teachers so bad." WHY ARE THERE NO JOBS THEN? I graduate in two weeks and I have not found a single listing for a Secondary English Teacher within an hour of me. I even started looking for other jobs, but no one wants an English degree. Am I doomed?
I've been learning English for several months and my main goal is to reach a solid proficiency level.
Teacher: “Any major and copy and pasted sections would result in a zero on the paper. The majority of this paper was copied into the document which is why it will receive a 0.” So my teacher has a chrome extension that allows her to view history of a Google Docs, when I turned in my rough draft, she gave me comments and feedback to improve it, after looking at the feedback, I created a copy of the rough draft document to apply that feedback and turn it into my final draft. When I submitted that version, it got a 0. I’m confused, if she can see the history on my rough draft and since my rough draft received feedback and comments and didn’t automatically get zeroed for being copied and pasted, why did my final get a 0? Already emailed teacher.
Is there a difference in meaning or 'moderateness' between placing the adverb 'kinda' before the verb ('kinda made me sad') versus before the adjective ('made me kinda sad'), and do both versions work grammatically?
As we all know gcses have started for some of us and are fast approaching.
My school does not have any English teachers and I would like if one could have a look at my essay.
The question is from the 2024 paper and is how is lady Macbeth presented as a strong female character?
Here is my response:
Lady macbeth is presented as a strong female character due to her significant role in the regicide of king duncan. Lady macbeth manipulates macbeth into murdering king duncan by questioning his masculinity. This gave her complete control over macbeth as she used his ambition against him. However later in the play she experiences a psychological downfall resulting in her commiting suicide and therefore relinquishing any strength or control she once had.
At the start of the play in this extract lady macbeth hopes to damage the ego of macbeth hoping to establish dominance over him and convince him into committing regicide. She questions if macbeth should "live a coward in thine own esteem". Here lady macbeth is emasculating macbeth as a method of convincing him to murder king duncan. She is making him question his masculinity and without his masculinity macbeth knows he is nothing. She calls him a "coward" which implies she thinks macbeth is a weak, scared individual who is definitely not a man. Furthermore she says "have plucked my nipple... as you have done to this". The verb "plucked" and phrase "nipple from his boneless gums" provides imagery of a baby. A baby cannot make its own decisions and needs to be assisted and looked after at all times. Lady macbeth is trying to establish dominance over macbeth as she is pulling the strings and she will tell him what he can and cannot do. Moreover she encourages him with the verb phrase "dashed the brains out" This vivid imagery is lady macbeth reinforcing the idea of what a man is to macbeth especially in victorian society. The verb "dashed" suggests no bother or care and further no remorse or regret. It makes the imagery feel normal. In jacobean society a brave soldier who was extremely violent and committed horrid acts such as unseaming someone from "the nave to the chops" as macbeth did is what really made a man. Macbeth not wanting to be stripped of his masculinity and consumed by ambition decides to follow through with the murder. However it would not have been possible without the force and manipulation of lady macbeth.
Still early in the play during Macbeth's soliloquy, Lady Macbeth is still presented as a strong female character due to her extreme dominance and control exerted over Macbeth. In his soliloquy Macbeth describes his "heat oppressed brain". The "brain" controls everything including your actions. At this point in the play Macbeth is accepting and come to peace with the fact that his thoughts are no longer his own and he is being controlled by an external force which also we know to be Lady Macbeth. However we could refer to Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory and his structural theory of the mind. He mentions that everyone has the instinct to worship. Macbeth is shown to be a slave and to worship his desires. However he is reminded of his desires and told his desires by Lady Macbeth. Moreover in this act he is hallucinating with a dagger in his hand which foreshadows his physiological downfall later in the play. The oxymoronic phrase "oppressed brain" suggests your brain is meant to be free and not controlled which could be a reason for Macbeth and Lady Macbeth's psychological downfall later in the play.
During the middle of the play Lady Macbeth’s strength is highlighted due to the adverse effect she has had on Macbeth. The witches mention "something wicked this way comes". This is a juxtaposition as a king is meant to represent everything good about his nation and a symbol of power however in this quote he is referred to as the opposite; a figure of disgust and evil. This highlights Macbeth’s immense transformation as the witches are in awe when they see him. The witches are evil and Macbeth as a king is meant to be God’s advocate on earth. However as Macbeth is not in the Great Chain of Being and he tried to disrupt natural order by killing the king and committing regicide, he is illegitimate. Furthermore he is not a true representative of God and instead a representative of the devil. He is seen as an object of disgust even to the supernatural beings, which highlights how far gone he is and his immense transformation due to Lady Macbeth waving his desires in front of him and metaphorically casting a spell on him. Moreover the word "something" is chremamorphism which strips Macbeth of his humanity further emphasizing his devil like qualities. Lady Macbeth is the cause of all this due to her strong grasp on Macbeth.
At the end of the play, Lady Macbeth is dead and has therefore relinquished her control over Macbeth. Macbeth thinks "life is but a walking shadow". Lady Macbeth has lost her strength along with her life as her psychological reign over Macbeth is gone now that she is dead. Macbeth is now in shock and for a partial moment reaches a moment of anagnorisis which is tragic self realisation. The word "shadow" symbolizes Macbeth’s desires and goals which he spent all his time chasing but never satisfied as he never caught it. It is here in this moment Macbeth realizes killing Duncan and Macduff’s family and Banquo was useless as he would never be happy; his attempts to fulfill his desires are futile. He shows regret but it is too little too late. The verb "walking" implies a constant chore but clearly not fast enough as he never caught it. It is here Macbeth realizes the danger of following your id. And it is here where Lady Macbeth is no longer presented as a strong female character yet insignificant and a metaphor for disgust and shame. She was clearly never as strong as portrayed as her consumption of guilt causes her to take her own life.
Overall Lady Macbeth is successfully portrayed as a strong female character in the extract and most of the play right until the end where she relinquishes all her strength by taking her own life.
Hey! My story is a bit strange and I'm ashamed to tell it. I've been thinking about how to write this for some time.
I'm an English teacher on my bachelor diploma, but in reality I'm not fluent at all. I studied at a Faculty of Letters in Romania, specializing in Romanian-English, and I really don't know how it happened that I managed to pass all the years and get my license…
Anyway, the idea is that I really want to teach English to children... but I'm really scared because I'm not fluent and I feel like I won't be able to handle this🥲
I want to start with children between 3-10 years old, but I don’t know how to start… I need some program or lesson plans… can you please tell me where I can find this?
A lot of people ask me, if I graduated from this why I don't make something with english, but I always get stuck because I don't know how to tell them that I don't consider myself good enough....
I should mention that I have no problems understanding any text written in English. I can also write texts... But I'm very weak at accent and speaking... What can I do?😔
Please help me!🙏🏻
My workload never gives me enough time to actually prepare lessons, lessons are supposed to all be pre prepared by the school but they are always awful and unteachable, or usually only last for less than half of the expected time. So I need some good useful time fillers
I am a high school student (18 F) hoping to start university next September. I am a patient and enthusiastic learning partner, who is passionate about helping everyone enhance their language skills.
Rate: UK Minimum Wage, which is £10.85/ hour
Lessons: Online ONLY (FaceTime or audio)
What do I offer?
- Unstructured English Language conversation practice in professional and appropriate conversation topics- literature, film, philosophy, art, world affairs, sports, history and more.
- Personalised and accurate spelling and grammar checks for essays, presentations, CVs and résumés.
- Willing to prepare and create resources based off of students requests, ie Anki or Quizlet vocabulary flash cards.
- A competitive rate; similar services on Preply and Cambly will charge customers around $20 reportedly.
- A welcoming and positive attitude.
- No use of AI writing tools or grammar checking; I pledge that this introduction was written completely by a human.
How am I qualified?
- Education:
Grade 9 (equivalent to an A*) in GCSE English Literature
Grade 9 (equivalent to an A*) in GCSE History
Grade 9 (equivalent to an A*) in GCSE Religious Studies
Grade 7 (equivalent to an A) in GCSE English Language
Grade 7 (equivalent to an A) in GCSE Fine Art
Grade 6 (equivalent to a B) in GCSE Mathematics
Grade 6 (equivalent to a B) in GCSE Drama
Grade 6-6 (equivalent to a B) in GCSE Double Science
A* predicted grade in English Literature A-Level
A* predicted grade in Sociology A-Level
A* predicted grade in History A-Level
(These grades are predicted, not achieved)
- Work Experience:
(Volunteer) ENGLISH TEACHING ASSISTANT
Last year, I was a high school teaching assistant for a Year 8 Literature and Language class. I helped develop grammar, spelling and reading comprehension abilities for boys aged 12-13, whilst studying texts by Shakespeare and Shelley (Frankenstein).
CAMP COUNSELOR
Last summer, I worked at a week long summer camp, which prepared boys for their life at high school in London. I organised team building activities and sports games, whilst collaborating with a team of fellow counselors.
MUSEUM ASSISTANT
Whilst studying, I work part time at a local heritage house and museum. In this role I have a range of responsibilities, such as working on reception, setting up for events, such as weddings, and bartending for private events.
NOTE: I have no formal English language teaching qualifications. I am a prospective university student looking for extra work, however I do have relevant work experience and lower level educational qualifications; I am also charging a competitive rate.
Ideally you will have…
- Anywhere between a beginner and advanced English learner looking to improve; I am not bilingual therefore unfortunately I cannot accommodate complete beginners.
- Ability to transfer payment in pounds through PayPal or direct transfer.
- A desire for consistent tutoring (for example, weekly basis) although I am also open to one-off lessons.
- A secure Wi-Fi network.
- Availability for lessons from 7am-10pm British Standard Time.
All ages and nationalities welcome! Please DM if you are interested.
💕💗💖
​
Hello...this is a pretty specific case. I am trynna teach English to people with an A2–B1 level to help them progress further. I am not a teacher, and I teach through online messages. The method that I’ve been following is:
I used to give them 2 stories twice a week (on Sunday and Wednesday) and used to ask MCQ-based, short, and long questions. The stories always contained new words and new phrases.
On Monday, I used to give them 20–30 grammar questions on tenses and other stuff, and I used to explain things if they had a doubt about a specific question.
On Tuesday, we used to have real-time conversations (through chatting or voice messages) on different topics.
On Thursday, I used to give 20–30 new vocabulary words with example sentences.
Is this method efficient? If you’ve got any suggestions or any better method that I could use to teach people in a more professional and structured manner please let me know.
I do IGCSE Edexcel english literature and I've written this in 48 mins (typing) could yall pls mark it by AO2 and AO3
Both poems of “Prayer before birth” and “War Photographer” present a strong point of view on humanity and the self-destruction of humanity. However, In “war photographer”, Duffy points out the excruciating pain of war, whereas in “prayer before birth”, MacNeice criticises the dehumanisation of the industrial world that faces corruption. Both of the poems present structural devices; however, “war photographer” explore a strict rhyme scheme along with 4 quatrains, whereas “prayer before birth” demonstrates a dramatic monologue with irregular line lengths.
Both poems present a strong point of view on the negativity of humanity. In “Prayer before birth” MacNeice depicts an unborn baby pleading through a prayer as “I am not yet born; O hear me.” emphasises on how the baby is so desperate to be heard and by an ominous figure which could be directed to god himself. MacNiece uses caesura to place emphasis on the pause to highlight the seriousness of the prayer. Through the personal pronouns of “I” illustrates how MacNeice tries to make it personal experience he might’ve felt which he tries to persuade the audience into giving a more empathetic response. However, In “War photographer” Duffy uses a third person narrative of the war photographer as he’s “in his darkroom he is finally alone” emphasises how the war photographer faces constant chaos that “finally” depicts how it is rare to have an environment that is silent and peaceful in his experience as he faces constant war.
In “Prayer before birth” MacNiece presents the humanity through the corruption of “the bloodsucking bat or the rat or the stoat or the club-footed ghoul come near me” emphasises on the animal imagery that is used to represent humanity who has ultimately dehumanised into greed and corruption to gain a higher status. MacNeice further uses the polysyndeton of “or” to speed up the pace of the poem to reinforce his message on how cruel humanity has become. Similarly in “war photographer” Duffy presents his views on the world as dehumanised and incapable of empathising with people who suffer in war. “The readers' eyeballs prick with tears between the bath and pre-lunch beers” reinforces how society has normalised being unempathetic towards one another. The use of alliteration of “b” demonstrates how society has made them selfish and incapable of placing themselves in the shoes of others. The quick shifts from “prick with tears” to “prelunch beers” illustrate how they felt sadness for only a short period of time.
In “war photographer” Duffy places emphasis on the excruciating pain of war whereas in “prayer before birth” MacNeice presents the hopelessness of the society. In ‘war photographer’ Duffy lists the places that face war, “Belfast. Beirut. Phnom Penh.” to illustrate how wars are presented on a world scale and various countries face war. The caesura after each country is used by Duffy to place emphasis to slow the pace and allow the audience to empathise with the countries that face warzones and are unable to escape from death. Furthermore, Duffy uses the innocence of children to contrast with war evident through, “running children in a nightmare heat” which highlights the chaos and vulnerability of the people that face war without choice. The use of “heat” could emphasise on the temperature of the bombs. Moreover, the use of “nightmare” contrasts with the reality that they’re facing as they are unable to wake up from the pain they face on a daily basis. However in “prayer before birth” MacNeice uses the unborn child to create an allusion of hope through the natural imagery of “dandle me, grass to grow for me, trees to talk” to illustrate a peaceful and harmonious world which juxtaposes with the unequal industrial world. MacNeice further uses listing to heighten the desperation in the unborn child’s tone for a better society. At the end of the poem, MacNeice gives up on the poem, “otherwise kill me” as a stark ultimatum to the prayer of improving society as it has finally understood that capitalism will forever be there and the greed of others will never dissipate.
Dear all:
I have some exciting news for you! I am happy to announce that we are in the process of reviving this community. I am pretty hopeful that a community for humanities in general can be a thriving place on Reddit.
This community has been dormant for almost six years and it is currently listed as "Restricted" (this will change soon), but we believe it is time to relaunch and build this community. Your help, of course, is crucial in this entire process.
I will be posting some of my own writings and educational content soon, so that we can keep the community going, but as soon as we are able to make the community open (it requires requesting Reddit to change the status of the community), all those interested in humanities are and will always be welcome.
Thank you all so much!!

THIS WAS MY RESPONSE IM NOT SURE HOW WELL I DID COMPARE IT TO YOUR ANSWERS YOUR WROTE
Unseen Poetry — Not It
The question was on how the writer presents being alone through the game of hide and seek.
I argued that loneliness is initially presented as something frightening and psychologically overwhelming, before later becoming something emotionally isolating and creating the feeling of being left out and having no one to talk to and finally something that can potentially be accepted or overcome. I interpreted the game of hide and seek allegorically, suggesting it symbolises the transition from childhood into adulthood and the emotional struggles, insecurities and doubts that accompany growing up.
In my first paragraph, I analysed the dark imagery in “left behind to count down in the dark” and argued that it presents loneliness as frightening and connected to fear of the unknown. I also explored the recurring “day turns to night” imagery, suggesting it symbolises both the loss of light reinforcing the fear associated with alone but it also universalises the fear felt by people through the transition from childhood into adulthood, as the cyclical movement from day to night mirrors experiences every person goes through and reflects how loneliness becomes an unavoidable part of growing up.
In my second paragraph, I argued that the poem shifts from fear of being alone to emotional entrapment and isolation. I analysed “without a hiding spot” as a metaphor for lacking a place or person to find emotional comfort and security, leaving the speaker psychologically trapped and vulnerable. I also discussed the image of “grown-up clothes that don’t quite fit” as symbolising emotional discomfort, alienation and difficulty adapting to adulthood, almost suggesting the speaker feels emotionally out of place within the adult world. I linked this to the enjambment, arguing that the fast-moving pace reflects the speaker’s desperation to fit in, avoid isolation and escape the psychological pressure of being alone.
In my final paragraph, I analysed the cyclical structure of the poem, beginning and ending with “Not It”, and argued that loneliness is presented as a constant cycle within life. However, I suggested the contrasting image of the grown-up clothes finally ‘fitting’ implies acceptance, emotional maturity and personal growth, while no longer being “the seeker” symbolises overcoming isolation and fear. I concluded by arguing that the poet ultimately suggests the cycle of fearing loneliness and being alone can be broken through self-realisation, emotional maturity and acceptance.
Poetry Comparison — If— and Blessing
The question was on the different ways the poems present positive feelings.
In my first paragraph, I focused on the differences between the poems. I argued that in If—, Kipling presents positive feelings as something which must be earned through self-mastery, perseverance and Victorian stoicism rather than something immediately experienced. I analysed the personification of “Triumph and Disaster” and argued that by presenting them as “two impostors”, Kipling suggests emotional fulfilment comes from remaining mentally disciplined and emotionally controlled regardless of success or failure. I linked this to the idea that positive feelings in the poem are achieved through resilience, emotional restraint and perseverance rather than temporary pleasure or emotional excitement. I also talked about the humility aspect and talked about that. Also talked about anaphora of if creating a reflective tone etc which mirrors the fathers advice.
I then contrasted this with Blessing, where I argued that positive emotions are presented as becoming greatly intensified and appreciated because of the community’s prior experiences of scarcity and deprivation. I focused on the first two lines and also on how the sudden arrival of water temporarily transforms the community emotionally because of how deprived they previously were. I also analysed the enjambment and flowing structure, arguing that it creates a frantic and overwhelming tone which reflects both the desperation of the community and how rare moments of happiness become emotionally amplified because of their suffering and scarcity.
In my second paragraph, I explored the similarities between the poems by arguing that both poets ultimately present true fulfilment and happiness as something connected to long-term longevity and security rather than temporary solutions or short-term material comfort. For If—, I analysed the final lines about “the Earth and everything that’s in it” becoming yours, but argued that “you’ll be a Man, my son!” is presented as the more important reward, suggesting fulfilment comes from long-term emotional maturity, self mastery and and long term discipline rather than material ownership. I also analysed the enjambment and continuous flowing structure, arguing that it reflects the need for constant perseverance and ongoing self-discipline in order to achieve fulfilment.
For Blessing, I focused on the juxtaposition between the excitement surrounding the water and the recurring imagery of poverty in the final stanza, suggesting the happiness is only temporary because the deeper issue of deprivation still remains unresolved. I argued that the breaking of the pipe offers temporary emotional relief rather than true or permanent happiness, therefore both poems ultimately suggest that genuine fulfilment cannot come from temporary material satisfaction alone.
Of Mice and Men
The question was on how Steinbeck presents George as a caring person.
I argued that Steinbeck presents George and Lennie’s relationship as unusual in order to criticize the selfish and capitalist society of Great Depression America, where genuine companionship is made difficult by the harsh lives of itinerant workers and a culture of disposability and isolation. I explored the animal imagery surrounding Lennie, particularly the parallels with the mice, Candy’s dog and the repeated bear imagery, and suggested a Darwinian interpretation where Lennie’s death becomes inevitable within a society shaped by ideas similar to survival of the fittest. I linked this to how Steinbeck presents vulnerable people as disposable within capitalist America and how he criticizes it.
I then argued that George’s care is also presented as flawed and conflicted, as his frustration and desire for freedom are shaped by capitalist social structures which normalise emotional detachment and shallow lifestyles centred around alcohol and brothels rather than genuine human connection. I explored how George’s moments of frustration towards Lennie are not presented as simple cruelty but as a product of the emotional pressure and isolation created by the society they live in.
In my third paragraph, I argued that George’s care is presented as initially tragically futile, as despite his sacrifices it ultimately fails to achieve the dream of “living off the fatta the lan’” and instead results in Lennie’s death, although Steinbeck ironically still offers a slight sense of hope through Lennie partially achieving the dream by finally possessing his own “piece of land”, which symbolically becomes his grave. I also explored how Steinbeck uses this tragic irony to criticise the society and economic conditions which make genuine dreams and companionship almost impossible to sustain.
In my final paragraph, I discussed how the failure of George’s care for Lennie, ultimately resulting in his death, links to the Friday–Sunday structural parallels and religious and reversal imagery. I argued that Steinbeck may deliberately reverse Christian ideas of resurrection and hope in order to criticise the illusion of relying on religion within such a hopeless and broken society rather than individuals being proactive themselves. I linked this to how Lennie begins a new life at the ranch on Friday and dies on Sunday, which I compared to the Bible where Jesus is crucified on Friday and resurrected on Sunday.
I tutor English online for UK students (I'm in South Africa). We work in Teams and Pencil Spaces. Recently I've had to give a student a serious "I'm disappointed, you're better than this, etc" shpiel about him using AI to generate his assigned creative writing work (entirely without my knowledge).
My boss (she got me the students and handles admin stuff) has told me I now have to make the student share his screen for most/all of his lessons so I can make sure he's not using AI. I understand her reasoning and I don't exactly disagree that it's the only way to 100% ensure he's not using AI, but I really feel that its a bridge too far, and that it's an invasion of his privacy. I'm not even sure it would be allowed knowing how strict UK law is around kids and tech and what have you. The parents are also all for it but even still. Should I just go ahead and have him screen share from now on? I've had a couple other problems with this boss before but I put up with her because its money in the bank, but I am a bit paranoid she's getting us both into ethical and/or legal trouble.
