November 13, 2007
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There are just some things one should not say to an English teacher. Those comments make my blood boil. Let’s just say that one shouldn’t generalize about all students in any given discipline. Like I’ve mentioned before, only some students fall under those categories at any given time anyhow.
I think my students should know that I defend them. When people comment on “students these days” and how they “can’t write,” I freak out. Inside and out. Because ya know what, THEY DO KNOW HOW TO WRITE. It’s all about tapping into WHAT they want to write about. And it’s all about what YOU are looking for. If you are strict and want absolute perfect punctuation or grammar or spelling, then, no, students will not write to your expectation. But if you are looking at the overall picture – are they organizing their thoughts, are they using details and varied sentence structure, are they using original cliches and colorful verbs… THEN you’ll see it. You’ll see their potential.
It’s not about being lenient; it’s about looking for the right things. It’s about having the right perspective.
Why do I feel like I’ve written this entry before?
Comments (1)
Preach it sister! Preach it! You are a breath of fresh air – your teaching style and connection with your students is admired. It is refreshing to have people like you at NDSCS, who attempt to connect - try new things - embrace technology - are open to change – like to try or experiment with new ideas. Unfortunately, it seems most have developed a course outline and they teach it over and over and over again.
Thanks for sticking up for us – STUDENTS! It is nice to have you in our corner. It is difficult to change the world but you can impact one student or a few students and then they in turn are empowered to impact others – THANK YOU FOR IMPACTING MY LIFE!