If you want to do well at something, you need to work at it. Class discussions, presentations, reading assignments, homework, and projects are all designed to help students learn. When a student refuses to work hard on all of these, it is not surprising when he/she doesn't understand. When you have the attitude that English is a waste of time, you will not do well. Right now, you might not be able to see the importance, but you will. You may hear parents of your friends say, 'I was never any good at English.' The translation of this statement is, 'I never put forth the effort in English.' Mr. Becker has taught students with severe needs and students who are in the initial stages of language acquisition and has had success with both.
Your attitude is the key. When you hear a negative adult say, 'this is such a waste of time; you will ever need this,' remember that we are not trying to train you to be a repository of information. A cell phone contains more information than any of us can remember in a lifetime. The goal is for you to be a consumer of information, a creative thinker, and someone who can communicate. Employers say that the number one skill missing in the work force is the ability to think creatively, outside of the box. This is what we are working on. It can be hard to see how this is happening, but trust us. We went to school for this. It amazes me how often people will take the advice of professionals like doctors, lawyers, physical therapists, et al; but will question the professional judgement of teachers. Teachers like Mr. Becker make decisions based on extensive education and training; please let him do his job.

The bottom line is that it doesn't matter how 'good' you are at English the first day. Remember this quote.

'Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard.' -Kevin Durant

We are make mistakes. Mr. Becker makes them from time to time. Believe it or not, he is a human being. Mr. Becker believes in the importance of owning mistakes and then moving on. If he makes a mistake that affects the class, he will bring it up and the beginning of class and apologize. If he makes a mistake with an individual student he will make sure to address it with the student. Mr. Becker expects students to respond in kind. When you do make a mistake, even a big one, everyone starts fresh the next day. If you get in trouble on the first day of Sophomore English, the next two years aren't going to be horrible. Accept the consequences with grace and vow to not make the mistake again. Large mistakes may even need an apology. Accept responsibility for your actions and tomorrow will be a fresh start.