Yesterday was my birthday, so I went out to eat twice, and then spent half the night hurling up the result in what I can only assume is some sort of food poisoning. Totally destroys my fantasy about how awesome it would be to eat out for all my meals and never ever have to cook. (I hate to cook.)
Hence: start your three-day weekend early. I'll see you again next Wednesday.
Go ahead and comment (or just leave your name; whatevs) so I can see how fast people get messages on the blog and whether or not it's worth posting announcements like this here. (I'll be emailing you, too.)
Showing posts with label just so you know. Show all posts
Showing posts with label just so you know. Show all posts
Friday, January 13, 2012
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
don't be confused...
the blog posted a bit about the "Bibliography Challenge," but it wasn't supposed to do that until later.
if you saw it, don't worry about it yet.
if you didn't see it, don't worry about it yet.
you don't have to comment on this post.
if you saw it, don't worry about it yet.
if you didn't see it, don't worry about it yet.
you don't have to comment on this post.
Monday, October 3, 2011
A Word on Peer Review Groups
You'll notice that today's class says "Peer Review." This is a fun day for y'all. Here are some guidelines:
1. we don't meet as a class; this guarantees there's at least one hour everyone has free for the assignment.
2. you should plan on spending about an hour, though you can certainly go longer than that.
3. you can meet wherever and whenever. as long as it's before class on Wednesday.
4. everyone should bring a draft of a paper to group.
5. you should spend your time looking at the papers and giving each other ideas for revision. similar to ICPP's, but in a smaller setting and on a smaller (possibly friendlier) scale.
As always, email me if you have questions.
1. we don't meet as a class; this guarantees there's at least one hour everyone has free for the assignment.
2. you should plan on spending about an hour, though you can certainly go longer than that.
3. you can meet wherever and whenever. as long as it's before class on Wednesday.
4. everyone should bring a draft of a paper to group.
5. you should spend your time looking at the papers and giving each other ideas for revision. similar to ICPP's, but in a smaller setting and on a smaller (possibly friendlier) scale.
As always, email me if you have questions.
Monday, February 28, 2011
I talked about this Grammar Rant in one of my classes today and promised a link.
It's about spelling, but if you find it interesting, you can click on the "grammar rants" label and get more of my spouting. Some of it might even be useful.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Welcome to Writing 150 this winter!
I hear it will be cold. At least, it always is cold. Sometimes during winter semesters my fingers shrink and my rings fly off when I reach for the chalk. That's why I don't wear rings when I teach very much. Except maybe if I'm in a bad mood. Which may explain recent jewelry choices. Hmm....
Anyway. We'll be doing a lot of writing and stuff. Also rhetoric. Which is a fancy way of saying writing. But it's more complicated than that of course or else they wouldn't make you take the class.
If you read the syllabus you and I will probably be fine. Also read the sidebar of this blog. Because you don't want to tick me off, right? I thought not.
Just FYI, I have a funny chair and a cane this semester. Those aren't normal for me so if you ask some of my old students about them they might look at you like you're crazy. I recently had a skin graft that went awry. So sometimes I'm cranky. Don't worry. I know I'm cranky and won't hold it against you.
ps: I tend to like students who talk in class. Not, like, to each other. But the ones who talk about what we're talking about. So participate. I know it's hard in the morning, but you can do it. I know you can.
pps: The posts before this one are from last semester. You don't *have* to read them, but if you're looking for examples of what to do when it's your turn to post, they're there.
Anyway. We'll be doing a lot of writing and stuff. Also rhetoric. Which is a fancy way of saying writing. But it's more complicated than that of course or else they wouldn't make you take the class.
If you read the syllabus you and I will probably be fine. Also read the sidebar of this blog. Because you don't want to tick me off, right? I thought not.
Just FYI, I have a funny chair and a cane this semester. Those aren't normal for me so if you ask some of my old students about them they might look at you like you're crazy. I recently had a skin graft that went awry. So sometimes I'm cranky. Don't worry. I know I'm cranky and won't hold it against you.
ps: I tend to like students who talk in class. Not, like, to each other. But the ones who talk about what we're talking about. So participate. I know it's hard in the morning, but you can do it. I know you can.
pps: The posts before this one are from last semester. You don't *have* to read them, but if you're looking for examples of what to do when it's your turn to post, they're there.
Monday, August 23, 2010
SWILUA's Grading Philosophy; Just so you know.
AT the beginning of my semester in Math 113 I had the second worst grade in the entire class. I’m not talking B+ kind of bad. I’m talking a 41.3% testing average. I was failing. It was a weird concept for me, failing, especially because I was working 3-4 hours every single stupid day trying to understand the stuff. I mean, how could I be working so hard and still be failing?
Then, one day, like a miracle, a boy named Christopher came up to me and revealed that he was the only person in the class with a worse percentage than me (his was 38.7%) and that we were going to be study buddies. I think that was his term. Or maybe my mother's. My memory is fuzzy.
But I do remember that we worked. We worked six days a week. 7-8 hours every weekday and 8-12 hours on Saturday. We spent every second we could in the math lab (they often had to kick us out at night). We got two or three assignments ahead so that by the time we got to class we already had a pretty good understanding of what was going on. We worked our trash off.
Finally, one day, I had this epiphany deep in my brain cells. All of mathematics seemed to open up and I understood what the entire thing was about. And it was beautiful. By the end of the semester, I had raised my testing average from 41.3% to 105.6%. I went from the second worst grade to the second best. I became a math lab tutor and the only person admitted to my graduate literature program who got a higher math score on the GRE than English.
What’s my point?
There is a happy indignation in assuming that hard work should be rewarded with high grades. The problem is, if we’re rewarded solely for our effort and not for what we produce, we don’t reach as high and we don’t work as hard. It’s the reason communism fails while capitalism succeeds. Grades push us. Should they define us? Absolutely not. Should you jump off the Kimball tower when you, inevitably, get that first A-? I’m thinking probably not. (In fact, I have this other speech, that I won’t give here, where I encourage all of you to get at least one C in your life. It’s a good speech. Remind me to give it if I don’t remember to myself.)
But should you let grades push you to learn at a new depth?
Absolutely.
The majority of your grade (more than 70%) in this class will come from things you have written. (Seems fitting, really, that in a writing class you’re graded on writing.) I don’t grade on a curve. I have had classes where the entire class got an A and classes where no one did. Most classes do seem to have a variety of grades. And one happy bit: if you do every single assignment and come to every single class, I will personally guarantee that you won’t fail the class no matter how much of an F you got on each paper. That’s just because I’m nice.
Then, one day, like a miracle, a boy named Christopher came up to me and revealed that he was the only person in the class with a worse percentage than me (his was 38.7%) and that we were going to be study buddies. I think that was his term. Or maybe my mother's. My memory is fuzzy.
But I do remember that we worked. We worked six days a week. 7-8 hours every weekday and 8-12 hours on Saturday. We spent every second we could in the math lab (they often had to kick us out at night). We got two or three assignments ahead so that by the time we got to class we already had a pretty good understanding of what was going on. We worked our trash off.
Finally, one day, I had this epiphany deep in my brain cells. All of mathematics seemed to open up and I understood what the entire thing was about. And it was beautiful. By the end of the semester, I had raised my testing average from 41.3% to 105.6%. I went from the second worst grade to the second best. I became a math lab tutor and the only person admitted to my graduate literature program who got a higher math score on the GRE than English.
What’s my point?
There is a happy indignation in assuming that hard work should be rewarded with high grades. The problem is, if we’re rewarded solely for our effort and not for what we produce, we don’t reach as high and we don’t work as hard. It’s the reason communism fails while capitalism succeeds. Grades push us. Should they define us? Absolutely not. Should you jump off the Kimball tower when you, inevitably, get that first A-? I’m thinking probably not. (In fact, I have this other speech, that I won’t give here, where I encourage all of you to get at least one C in your life. It’s a good speech. Remind me to give it if I don’t remember to myself.)
But should you let grades push you to learn at a new depth?
Absolutely.
The majority of your grade (more than 70%) in this class will come from things you have written. (Seems fitting, really, that in a writing class you’re graded on writing.) I don’t grade on a curve. I have had classes where the entire class got an A and classes where no one did. Most classes do seem to have a variety of grades. And one happy bit: if you do every single assignment and come to every single class, I will personally guarantee that you won’t fail the class no matter how much of an F you got on each paper. That’s just because I’m nice.
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