A PERFECT 10…OUT OF 20
When I first went away to college at USU (100 years ago or so) I simply wrote five-paragraph essays like my favorite high school English teacher had taught me. This method seemed to work wonderfully on most assignments; intro, three paragraphs, conclusion, and voila! Instant essay. When I changed majors—four times—I struggled a bit with the different conventions, but don’t remember being frustrated by it. These conventions were just something else to learn while at college, like where to park or how to deal with annoying frat boys.
Four years ago, after another major change (back to my first love, English) I registered for an online English lit class here at WSU. The assignments seemed straightforward enough—read the story, summarize, and then compare. Sound familiar? I wrote a lovely five paragraph essay which received a “10.” Right on. I wrote four more and collected my 10s. I was stunned when my sixth essay came back with a note from the professor saying that he would not grade any more of my work until I rethought my essays. What?! Apparently each assignment was worth 20 points…and I was crashing.
After a short period of mourning I rewrote those six essays, learning as I went what this professor was looking for. It was a long and frustrating process, but I was grateful for a second chance. By the end of the semester I had a better grasp of the discourse. I earned a good grade and the savvy for another semester of English courses—I didn’t have to change my major or run screaming. Incidentally, I saved those first essays so I can pull them out once in awhile and wince.
This experience would have been a lot less painful if I had seen an example of what those assignments should have looked and sounded like before I ever started to type. I would have mimicked the language and conventions—Bartholomae would have been proud. Was it a “fair” experience? Nah. But life never is, is it? We learn by doing, and re-doing.
This reminds me…I know I’m not supposed to use contractions in academic writing, and yet my newspaper editor loves them. Different discourses, different conventions, and I’m still blending them after many years of practice. Just ask Dr. Rogers. In a good week I’ll get my English paper back without all the contractions circled-- and my news story printed in full contraction mode. Go figure.
Four years ago, after another major change (back to my first love, English) I registered for an online English lit class here at WSU. The assignments seemed straightforward enough—read the story, summarize, and then compare. Sound familiar? I wrote a lovely five paragraph essay which received a “10.” Right on. I wrote four more and collected my 10s. I was stunned when my sixth essay came back with a note from the professor saying that he would not grade any more of my work until I rethought my essays. What?! Apparently each assignment was worth 20 points…and I was crashing.
After a short period of mourning I rewrote those six essays, learning as I went what this professor was looking for. It was a long and frustrating process, but I was grateful for a second chance. By the end of the semester I had a better grasp of the discourse. I earned a good grade and the savvy for another semester of English courses—I didn’t have to change my major or run screaming. Incidentally, I saved those first essays so I can pull them out once in awhile and wince.
This experience would have been a lot less painful if I had seen an example of what those assignments should have looked and sounded like before I ever started to type. I would have mimicked the language and conventions—Bartholomae would have been proud. Was it a “fair” experience? Nah. But life never is, is it? We learn by doing, and re-doing.
This reminds me…I know I’m not supposed to use contractions in academic writing, and yet my newspaper editor loves them. Different discourses, different conventions, and I’m still blending them after many years of practice. Just ask Dr. Rogers. In a good week I’ll get my English paper back without all the contractions circled-- and my news story printed in full contraction mode. Go figure.
posted by cheyney at 10:47 PM
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