Phillip Sanders
ENG 11-63
Reflection on English 111
11-29-2009
ENG 11-63
Reflection on English 111
11-29-2009
Though challenging at times, English 111 is a very necessary class. I learned a lot about my strengths and weaknesses as a writer, as well as developed many new techniques to improve my writing. At times I felt as though my instructor was too tough because were assigned multiple assignments week after week. When it is all said and done, the class is what you make it. As a freshman, I now have a better understanding of what college will be like thanks to this class.
Some assignments were annoying and felt pointless at the times they were assigned. Now looking back I see that they did serve their purpose. At first glance it appeared as though we were just constantly given busy work, and were not really being taught. I realize now that I was stuck on the traditional teaching methods I was raised on. The instructor was by no means easy, he made sure that we were without a doubt prepared for what’s ahead of us in college.
The number one thing I disliked about this was that so much of your success required extension online use. I would be ok with submitting my assignments online, but having to constantly check e-mail for new assignments and new announcements became a pain in the ass. I don’t think it is fair for me to sign up for a class intended for in class instruction and have to still go home and spend half of my week online. I feel like I may as well have taken an online, or hybrid class being as that is what they are offered for. This is not being said out of spite either, it just really created a problem for me. The due dates were constantly posted, in some cases only a day or two before the due date, so if you did not hop online and catch it on time you get a zero. I do not see the fairness in that. To future students: If you don’t want to spend three hours a week in class followed by three hours a week online do not take this course because I assure you it will become a headache at some point in your semester.
What I did like about this class was that the instructor didn’t treat in class time like a pure writing class, but he used videos (some informative, and suck plain pointless), audios, and other methods of teaching as well which helped to keep the class from getting too boring. Nobody wants to write for three hours straight, and I believe he recognized that and taught us writing tools in other ways.
All in all Paul Gasparo is a great instructor who utilizes many unique teaching methods to keep the class interesting. Personally I’d prefer a bit more of the conventional methods over the extensive online style. Taking this class will aid in your preparation for future college classes, as well as your career. You will need a lot of time to devote to work outside of class. If you work fall time, or a lot of part time hours, I wouldn’t recommend taking this class; for you will most likely find yourself overwhelmed by the constant work thrown at you with no breaks in between. I believe if I’am not mistaken we had a new writing assignment every week(sometimes more than and, as well as multiple reading assignments online. On another note, If you do take this class be sure to invest in plenty of printer paper and ink cartridges, because you will be printing a minimum of ten pages a week. To each his own; if you like constant utilization of the internet and find the methods three suits your interests, then don’t let me discourage you. You will love this class. For the rest of us with jobs and busy schedules who prefer to spend more of our three hours spent in class on work instead of scrambling at home, then I urge you to take this to consideration. Things will be thrown online with no warning (often in an unorganized fashion), and will be expected to be turned in on time. So bring your laptop to work, don’t forget your Blackberrys, and good luck in English 111. Like I said , if you can get past my problem with the online methods, Paul is a great teacher and you will definitely learn a lot from him.
I'm cutting down on a bunch of the line components of the course and likely asking fewer of the readings be printed if I suspect there won't be time for them, though I will say that I recommended used of the free printing on campus.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe I ever posted due dates two days before an assignment was due. All of the major assignments were on the calendar ahead of time and if any dates changed, they were generally and most often pushed back. The only assignments with short deadlines were short writings given a week before they were due that did not require too much effort, such as the "What You Believe," or "Resume and Cover Letter." If I'm mistaken, please let me know.
I am glad you've learned about yourself and college. You'll have a lot of experiences with different instructors and classmates.
Now that you mention it, I didn't realize that printing was free in the library, that would've come in handy, but now that the class is over it's safe to say that although it was hectic at times to have to get online constantly, it wasn't as bad as I made it seem in this essay. I just had to overemphasize it so that I could make my word count. lol So sorry if I offended you, because you probably didn't post anything two days ahead of time, it probably seemed that way to me because I wouldn't check my email as constantly as I should, and if for instance I caught an email on Tuesday night before going to bed, then I would only have 1 1/2 days to do it. That's my fault though and I admit that, but I jus was stating that that was the trouble I was having with the method. But as I stated repeatedly, I really enjoyed your class(especially the last two days), and Thank you for teaching me and preparing me for whats to come. I'm sure there will be many teachers that will be a lot more demanding than you.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Don't worry I'm not going to bash you on ratemyteachers.com lol
I mentioned free printing in the library probably the first day of class or shortly after. It's part of my opening day spiel. I think I'll emphasize this by putting it atop the course calendar.
ReplyDeleteMy question regarding that is, do you think having to print out a lot of the materials made you more independent and self-reliant in general or would it have been better if I handed out most of that stuff?
I'm definitely planning on emphasizing students purchasing and using the McWhorter textbook. If they choose not to read it it's their money.
You'll do well in future classes regardless of how demanding the instructor is.
Also, I don't know if you subscribed to my post that you left on my blog, but a 12 hour drive is usually the maximum I like to do in a day. Are you planning on going it alone? Once I know this I'll give you more advice on what you can turn your trip into, if you're interested.
Personally I'd prefer to have handouts, but your way did force us to be more self-reliant which I guess is part of what college should be so if that was your goal then to each his own. I was planning to do it alone though, but since you say 12 hours is your maximum then i probably shouldn't do it for my 1st long distance trip. I'll probably wait until another time when i have a tag along. Plus my mom didn't recommend me driving through all of those mountains in the winter time either.
ReplyDeleteI'd recommend doing half and half regarding the drive, or a bit more than half the first day, and making it easier the second day so you can have some time to see people as soon as you roll into town.
ReplyDeleteI usually skip a "real" breakfast and have at least one hot meal a day while in such long drive, whether it's a nice hot lunch or dinner. It's psychological.
Always bring plenty of good tunes and an atlas. You don't wanna get lost, especially in the mountains. GPSs are nice, but unnecessary most of the time.
It's usually more fun to make such a drive with at least one other person. And see if there are any interesting stops along the way. Make the drive into a trip or adventure. If it's all business, you might hate you entire time in the car.
Of course, going it alone allows lots of introspection and thought.
Also, if you've not slept, it might be possible you're as likely to fall asleep during the day as during the night while behind the wheel. This is not good and why there are often rumble strips along the edges of the roadway.
My other advice, if you're not in a hurry, is to take the old US highways when they don't run through dense population areas. You may have to slow down to 20 or 30 mph and stop at some lights and stop signs now and then, but you'll see some great small towns you'd never know about if you stick to the Eisenhower Interstate System: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/nhs/
Of course, as you mentioned in your other comment on your other post, watch out for those KKK towns. Those people are frightening.
Let me know if you have further questions.