Today, when the author reads articles or hears discussions about teaching grammar, she finds interesting dichotomies in perspectives. Some people see language issues as right or wrong: That's it. No flexibility. This perspective is evident when people look at issues of language in stark contrasts instead of in relation to context. Another dichotomy is evident when teachers speak of grammar as opposed to content. This is apparent when teachers say they have to decide between helping students write about something interesting and substantive "or" helping them learn punctuation and usage. Shifting these perspectives is one of the first challenges to seeing language instruction from a more effective position. In this article, the author considers the past, present, and future of English language teaching.