Anna, here ya go

I hear ya, yo...first off, I think it's important for you to decide what "english" means to you...i'm in no way trying to be "that guy" here, but seriously, when you say you want your kids to love English when they leave your class (which I feel the same way), what do you mean? I know what I mean when I say it...I mean that I want my kids to appreciate the inherent value in texts as well as the potential to use that value for their own gain...how we define "value" "text" and "gain" is obviously something fun to debate, but essentially I want my kids to learn these things for themselves...that's me...what about you? What about English do you think is so important? What do you think is worthless? anything? the question becomes not so much how we avoid the stigma, but where the stigma comes from and how to confront it...not avoid it...hit it, head on, kill it, change it...save the stigma, save the world...guess what: English aint the only class with preconceived stigmas, so get out of that mindset...ya think math teachers have it easy? or science teachers? or social studies teachers? school in general has a stigma attached to it so don't pay any attention to what your BF says about you being "down for the count" because as a teacher, if you are in fact "down", you're gonna be laying next to pretty much everyone else who's ever wanted to help a child...there's comfort in that, anna...i know I mentioned this in class, but i'm reminded of what thomas friedman says about teachers...he notes that we don't remember good teachers for what they teach us but rather how they made us view learning...english is a great subject...but it isn't the only subject...any teacher can change the lives of their students through caring instruction and by making learning seem 1) accessible, 2) rewarding, and 3) exciting...ya wanna avoid the stigma: do those things! the stigma will still be there, and sorry to say that not everyone is going to love English when they leave your classroom...you have to understand that...let me say it again: not everyone will love English when they leave your classroom...some will...some will hate it...sorry...but you'll be a good teacher, anna, if you remember why English excites you and show that (not teach that, but show it) to your students...we all remember teachers whose passion for a given subject--any subject--made learning that subject worth while...that's cool!! on a more personal note, and forgive me if I'm overstepping my boundaries here, but you may not want to let this issue go with your BF....it's vital--VITAL---that you have support from the people who love you...now, of course, support does not necessarily mean that you'll always condone one another's decisions...but what you have in quotes in your post doesn't sound like its very comforting...you need to take care of yourself, anna, and I'm worried about what will happen if you just let his comments brush off your shoulder simply because he's your BF...talk to him about it...anyway, that's enough for me....at the end of the day, you're the teacher--who cares about the stigma...do your best, try your hardest, enjoy yourself, and remember that despite the recent scholarship, sometimes teacher centered learning isn't such a bad thing...but you don't have to take me word for it...