What's Next?

As I prepare for tomorrow's classes, I can't help but feel a flutter of anticipation for the essays I'll be receiving from each of the four sections I teach. Will they be good, bad, ugly, or just acceptable? Experience tells me that there will be some of each. When I opted to use "Choosing Civility," at least one person warned me that today's 18-year-olds wouldn't "get it." He told me that a precious few of my students would already understand and use Forni's list, and the others wouldn't be mature enough to grasp the concept. I hope I'll be able to prove him wrong. One important part of writing instruction that I haven't introduced is workshopping, the idea of sharing what you've written with others and using their critiques to improve your writing. I've decided that now is the time, and this week we'll be exploring some of the writing we've done so far. We'll work anonymously at first, then in small groups us...

Every student knows they will face some sort of evaluation: a quiz, a test, homework, or in the case of ENG1101, essays. But did you ever stop to think about the evaluations teachers face? My first evaluations come from my students, and I receive them in subtle ways. How do I handle the student who thinks it's a stitch whenever he or she finds a way to disrupt the class? How do I handle the student who can barely stay awake? Can I do it in a way that benefits the class AND the student? I evaluate myself, too. After every class I get my own grade for saying and doing the right--or wrong--thing. Have I explained the assignment clearly enough? Have I let student know what I want them to learn? I went to a class yesterday on designing a syllabus and I learned that I can always do better. Perhaps the most telling evaluation comes from my colleagues. When another faculty member comes into my classroom to observe and offer thoughts on how I could do better, I know I'll be nervous. I a...

There's an old joke, probably originated by Henny Youngman, who must be at least 100 by now, that goes like this: A tourist in New York walked up to me one day and said, "How do you get to Carnegie Hall?" I told him "Practice, man, practice!" It's the same with writing. The best way to become a good writer is to write every day. Better still, write something one day, edit it the next. The next best way to become a good writer is to read. Don't limit yourself to reading for your classes, read about current events, historical events, religion, philosophy, science, and anything you are interested in. You can add to your writer's inventory of information by interviewing the people close to you: Mom, Dad, grandparents, neighbors, and others who can talk about life today versus life in the past. And talk to some dreamers, too, who can talk about life in the future. You're on your way to becoming good writers by keeping this blog! Keep up the good work....