The new semester is here. Even though it began with an extra day thanks to a snow day, it still feels like I've just taken my first breath, and it's already Thursday!
My schedule includes College Comp II first, prep second, and then I conclude the day with back to back sections of College Comp.
The College Comp classes are exhausting. I never realized how spoiled I was last semester only have 12 students in my first block Lit & Lang 9R class and then another 12 in my last block College Comp class. As it currently stands I have 18 students in my third block and a full house of 28 students in my final block.
That's a whole lot of drafts to read and comment on!
College Comp II
This class is tackling Mark Bauerlien's The Dumbest Generation. I believe the first day was two hours late, so we barely had time to just go over the assignments and syllabus before the bell rang. But the last two days have been filled with excellent discussions based on the introduction and chapter one of Bauerlein's book.
The trick, though, will be to balance discussion with other tasks. I love discussion, but I have found that students tire of it day after day. So I'l try and balance it with some on line discussions (mainly through our class blog) and via social media as well as using video and supplemental readings to try and keep the students from getting in a rut of read a chapter, discuss, read the next chapter, discuss and so on.
But as of right now, I couldn't be more pleased with how this class is coming a long.
College Comp
They are working on their first theme, which is a descriptive essay. So far they have turned in their first topic (describe your favorite time of year) and their second topic (describe a childhood place). Tomorrow they will submit their final topic (describe a favorite possession). On Tuesday students will choose which draft to develop and revise fully before submitted it as their theme.
In addition to talking about writing and college level expectations, they are just now reading "The Lottery."
Oh how I envy them. I will never forget the first time I read Jackson's classic in Mr. Sorenson's sophomore English class.
I have never been so shocked by a story in all of my life.
I envy the students the experience they are currently having as they read it.
Now, instead of blogging, I should be reading and commenting on their second descriptive topics, but a teacher of writing should also write, right?
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