When I saw at the end that you teach in a city school district, your article makes sense. No self-respecting professional writer agrees with you that these things don't matter that you mentioned, but it's probably okay for your students because you clearly sound like you've given up on teaching them good writing skills that will get them into college. That's okay; not everyone is supposed to go to college, and your students are probably next to impossible to teach. I'm a special ed teacher so I get it. But I am truly, TRULY worried about the fate of English studies in America when I keep reading about teachers like yourself throwing in the towel and adopting an "if you can't beat them, join them" attitude. Since when was education supposed to be easy? Since when did teachers care so much about how their students feel about it?

If you're not sure if the English language is right for you, I'd look at a new career choice.