NOVA English Teacher Launches “Grammar Rant” YouTube Series

The below article by Jon Battiston appeared in the Loudoun Times-Mirror on April 7, 2020.

To offer her students and others an entertaining way to improve their grammar while self-isolating, Leesburg’s Stacy Eldridge, an English and literature instructor at Northern Virginia Community College Loudoun Campus, launched a series of brief YouTube videos, “Grammar Rant,” on April 1.

“I’m trying to do things that are uplifting and give people something to watch that isn’t about what’s happening around them, to give a little bit of hope and a little bit of humor to basic, everyday things,” Eldridge told the Times-Mirror’s John Battiston.
.
While she admits she is “not as knowledgeable” when it comes to sharing content online, Eldridge said her husband encouraged her to go out of her comfort zone. He saw social media and online platforms as a great way to reach and educate others, and he helped her create the YouTube channel.

The videos, each less than a minute and a half, feature Eldridge addressing the camera about commonly confused and misused words. She describes the difference between words like “who” and “whom,” or “you” and “you’re,” in a straightforward but slightly goofy way. She facetiously begins each video with, “Welcome to Grammar Rant, where I rant about grammar and you get smarter.”

“At first I was going to make them serious, and then I thought, why not make them kind of silly and why not give people something to look forward to every day that’s educational and kind of funny?” she said. “I’m not trying to tell people they’re wrong — I’m trying to help them communicate better. You don’t have to correct people, but if you start correcting your grammar, then people will start to catch on.”

When asked which grammar mistake perturbs her the most, Eldridge said it is when people use “that” in place of “who” when referring to others, though her bother with this error extends beyond pet-peeve territory.

“People refer to individuals in the world as ‘that’ instead of ‘who,’ and it’s kind of silly, but in what’s happening right now, it’s important that we personalize the people around us,” she said.

As both a teacher and a manager of The Wine Kitchen in Leesburg, Eldridge sees firsthand the toll COVID-19 has taken on education and small business owners. Still, she’s delighted to see how positive and proactive her students and fellow culinary workers have been despite these challenges.

“I’ve had really good attendance, and those who don’t attend usually send me an email and tell me why not,” she said. “Everyone is being extremely positive. It’s nice to see people finding hope in what’s happening and not being cynical, and everyone’s helping out.”

Search YouTube for “Grammar Rant” for more.

Used by permission, https://www.loudountimes.com/news/nova-english-teacher-launches-grammar-rant-youtube-series/article_6fca1c14-7840-11ea-8c9f-333d8b78f28a.html