Thursday, September 24, 2009

Full Load

I just collected the papers from my two Writing 2 classes. Writing 2 is a class in rhetoric and research. It requires a lot of work from the students, who must research and form their own topics around the theme (this semester, it's modern slavery), and write long researched arguments. It also requires a lot of work from the instructor, who must prepare lessons in the dry material of rhetoric in such a way that it becomes compelling and useful, as well as reading looong essays and commenting on them.
Meanwhile, both my sections have their own little dramas as far as relationships in the class are concerned. There were two male/female couples, one in each class. Now the girl has dropped from the later class, and the guy (lonely guy) is still there. There's some heavy duty flirting going on in the back right corner though. I may have to move them. One of these students is very bright, but unmotivated. The other is a ditz. Together, they have the potential to disrupt that corner, so I'll keep my eye on them.
The big shitload of papers is intimidating, given that this will be another holiday weekend, and somehow, I have to get it all done.

3 comments:

Lou said...

I read one of your student's essays yesterday and thought it very good, so I hope you find bright spots as you grade.

Robbi N. said...

Yes. There are some very bright students in the classes. And I have already read impressive analysis and revision! However, the bad ones are very very bad... . That's the way it goes.

Robbi N. said...

I read that paper I think you saw Lou, and it is wonderful! I have several very very good papers in the group, and only a few dreadful ones.