I vividly remember a moment when I confidently used the word “gonna” in my class presentation in fourth grade. I was sharing an exciting story and I casually said “We were gonna go to the park.” Suddenly, my teacher interrupted with a stern expression and said, “Gonna is not a proper word, use ‘going to’ instead.” I felt a bit embarrassed, but I quickly switched to the more “correct” form. We were taught various prescriptive rules, including the preference for “aren’t” over “ain’t” and the avoidance of double negatives. The reasons given often revolved around the idea of adhering to standard English grammar for clearer communication and formality. Despite these teachings, as I grew older, I realized that language is flexible and evolves. While I may use standard English in formal settings, I also appreciate the richness of language diversity and the fluidity of expression.