only at the ALC

Here is a snippet of conversation that took place while students were writing death scenes for a creative writing assignment.

"Mr. Reynolds, do you watch a lot of TV?" one of my students asked while we were discussing another student's death scene.

"Not really."

"How'd you come up with such a twisted assignment?" the student asked.

"Guess I read too much Stephen King when I was in elementary school," I said. And that is probably true.

"I don't read at all," another student proudly claimed. Now, this student happens to be one of my hardest working. They just need every little thing explained to them. Such as when they were writing their bio poem, they asked, "So what should I put down for my address?" Apparently, they didn't know their own address! Or when I had to explain what a "scent" was to them.

"That goes without saying," yet another student added sarcastically. Now, this student happens to be one of my brightest, though they have yet to do a single assignment.

"Reading is lame," said a third student from across the room. This one too has yet to turn in a single assignment.

It is quite the juxtaposition teaching here from teaching the College Comp classes. The main difference seems to be that many here at the ALC think they know everything. Life will just happen and they'll make "good money" and live the American Dream. And let's hope that happens. The kids in my College Comp classes, though, are mostly scared. They want to know if their SAT score is good enough, how they'll pay for college, if their line of work will be outsourced, if they'll live up to their parents' expectations . . .