guys please english is my worst subject and its actually killing me to study for. im fine with all my other subjects but everytime i think about writing a practise essay i want to end it all. how do i get motivation??????? oh and also what are some tips to get good at english. please and thank you for any advice.
I'm laughing out loud--as an English teacher, this is so understandable.
I think the best piece of advice I have is to do the internal work.
1. Be clear with yourself about why you want to succeed in English, and why it's valuable. Even if you don't believe this to begin with, I always tell students that it's a subject that you'll have to go through anyway, and you'll have to face the results come HSC results release day: you may as well get something out of it. This may be because of a particular ATAR or course you're looking at, or it might actually come down to something a lot deeper.
2. Ask yourself: why do you hate English? What is it about English that makes it difficult/avoidance-worthy when compared to other subjects? Is this attitude the result of past experience in English classes/with teachers, is it because you haven't ever studied a text or module that you've enjoyed, is it something that you don't feel confident about or personally identify with? Is it because you don't feel like it's relevant to your life? All of this is so common and very understandable, but understand that you are more than capable of absolutely smashing English if you can do the internal work. Most of the motivation will come from a fundamental attitude shift towards the subject and its value.
3. Understand that English isn't about quotes, techniques, essays, and stupidly difficult essay questions. English, on a deeper level, is probably one of the most relevant subjects to your actual life beyond high school. Sure, you might not ever read or discuss Shakespeare again, but you sure as hell will have to digest huge amounts of information, distil complex ideas/problems/solutions into powerful written work that resonates with particular audiences and achieves specific purposes, and you'll have to think critically about complicated issues that relate to human society and human nature. This is consistent across every discipline out there. Getting to a point where you can appreciate (not necessarily like or enjoy!) the difficulty of complex meaning, interpretation, problem solving, and expression is beneficial for you in the long run.
Practical advice is: make yourself enjoy it by making it interest adjacent. If you're competitive and opinionated, approach essays as persuasive pieces where you prove your position. If you're interested in particular societal issues, find a way to relate your text to a cause or purpose that you genuinely care about and find interesting. If you're wanting to extend your ability to problem solve and distil complex amounts of information, start gathering academic articles, read interviews with the authors/composers, assess how state rankers write about the text: this will inspire you to realise that it's a skill and subject where you fully have the power to succeed.
