Resolution

Here's one New Year's Resolution -- to get essays back to my students quicker. I'm behind right now. I still have to grade 10 film reviews. Then I have 36 literary analyses staring me in the face. I should have set a quota for myself each day over vacation. Had I diligently taken care of 5, I might have been able to get them all done. Now, I'll be lucky to have a start on the literary analysis.

I know it's my job. So shut up right? True.

But that doesn't get any more papers read.

Now I'm glad that I'll be showing two films this shortened week. I'm showing Crash in Lit and Language 11 to tie into To Kill a Mockingbird. Then in my college class we're watching Training Day, from which we'll write a comparison and contrast paper to "Young Goodman Brown."

I wish I didn't have to devote class time to getting essays and other work done, but I have done that more this year than the past several years combined. Why? Well, my College Comp numbers have skyrocketed! Last year the most I had in one class was pushing 20. Then they drop 36 kids on me! In 18 weeks I'll have read at least 360 essays. And that's just for one class. And that isn't counting rough drafts, in class essays, and other essays that were written and read but not used for their final submissions. When all that is thrown in, I've read close to a thousand essays. Holy freakin' crap!

Another reason for the expanded workload is our new curriculum. You can just get a lot more done (not that if feels like it now, but I know I am doing much more with my kids in 18 weeks than I was in 9) in a semester. Plus, there just seems to be more work to do with literature classes. When I teach a pure composition class, we talk about about the topic or prompt or assignment. We tell some stories. Then I get the hell out of their way and let them write. While they're doing that, I can get A LOT done. But College Comp is my only true composition class. I think the other two literature classes are swamping me with work.

But that's my damn job, so I'm shutting up about it and getting back to the essays.

One last funny comment though --

Nicole, one of my better College Comp writers, was really frustrated two weeks ago when writing her literary analysis.

"I hate this theme," she grumbled. "I just want you to know that."

"I'm not surprised," I said, smiling. "It is difficult. It's not like any of our previous ones where you could get to focus on what you're best at - telling stories and crafting details."

"Tell me about it!" she said.

"I know. I would be lying to you if I told you that I loved writing literary analyses in college. My Shakespeare and Literary Criticism papers in grad school almost killed me. But I had to do it."

"I know, but it's so boring."

"Yeah, I know."


And now I get to read these 'boring' essays. But I'm doing it in the name of "they'll have to write like this down the road." And they will. But that only makes me want to read personal narratives all the more. I can honestly say I have not gotten lost in a film review or literary analyses yet. It's more like a wrestling match.

Alright. I gotta get some work done.

Wish me luck. I'm going back in. If you don't hear from me in 5 hours, well . . . just go on without me.