My COM 111 students are pretty amazing (if not as enthusiastic as last semester's students). I have a few very strong writers whose writing I look forward to reading. I doubt any of my students this semester will fail unless they decide to make some stupid choices like not turning assignments in. Last week, we discussed revising, and I tried a new activity that worked well for me as a way to better understand effective organization. I had them literally cut their drafts apart with scissors and peice them back toegther again. Most of the students who offered feedback thought the activity was helpful in one way or another, so I look forward to trying it again the next time I teach this class. Plus, it was just way more fun than staring at a computer screen, randomly (and probably arbitrarily) cutting & pasting. I'll be reading their first essays this weekend, and I can't wait to hear teh stories they have to tell.
My LIT class, on the other hand, is not going as well as I'd like. The students are great (at least half of them are on the fast-track to getting A's in the course. But I feel a little out of my element. I love literature, but comp/rhet is my specialty. I picked all new novels this summer, and the work load is so overwhelming that I am having a hard time keeping up with my own schedule. I have no idea how the students feel about the course so far, but I hope that they enjoy the informal class structure. Hopefully, I can get caught up on grading in that class. I know this is one of their primary frustrations.
No comments:
Post a Comment