Long ago, the Matron traded in her Big University Theorist hat for a job at a community college, thanks to the growing brood of children. She was schooled in the world of Idea, but Practice and Grind? Not so much.
This is far from theory, folks. Practice.
The course of her days at the community college level (10 day span):
45 research assignments
45 600-900 word research papers
23 6-10 page research papers with annotated bibliographies
27 creative writing portfolios including four pieces of students' best writing
45 short 'discussion posts'
45 quizzes
The Matron has nothing left in her beside "great' and "eliminate extra words." She writes these words hard and furious, tries to add something more meaningful.
Frequently, the students don't even read that. Not because they don't care, but because they're at their jobs, taking care of children, or otherwise occupied with paying the bills.
Such is life at the community college. She knows that there are others out there, slaving away at Big Idea and Theory. She just hopes that trickles down while she's up to her pretty little elbows in "today's society moves at a fast pace" papers.
Indeed.
4 comments:
Community college is real life. I'd be happy to receive a simple "great" or "eliminate extra words" if I was lucky enough to be your student.
Working in the land of big ideas and theory isn't a whole lot different when you have that much to grade in a short amount of time, I have found. I'm not too sure my students read what I comment either--and toward the end you just run out of steam. At least they're doing it in English. Congrats on finishing the semester.
I wish my son could even pass an English class at a community college.
I run a 4-H group and it drives me BATTY hearing how busy and over-scheduled everyone is. What is it about todays parents that they need to have every single nanosecond of their kids' time accounted for? What's wrong with laying on one's bed daydreaming?
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