One of my Comp students emailed me his process essay to review. The topic dealt with how Dateline goes after child predators on the Internet.
Um...right.
I think I need to start approving topics from now on.
About Me
- Seeking Solace
- I am a college professor who is fumbling through the chaos of academia, rheumatoid arthritis, working on my PhD and just being a 40 something woman. I used to be a lawyer, which made me a snarky little person. I have a wonderful Husband and a German Shepherd named Junior. They help keep me sane.
Paws to Consider
My Sister's Keeper
6 comments:
umm....
Dang! I want to see that one. Where do they come up with this stuff?
I've had a big problem in the past with people writing process essays that were not how-to at all, but rather explaining and describing something so that it is ultimately a narrative rather than a process.
So far, I've graded only online peeps, but this semester seems better.
Now, I'm battling the description essay. Every semester, I tell myself I'm not going to do it again, or else I'll give them a picture of a plant, and say, describe this! But then ultimately, I think it's a good exercise for pushing the vocabulary, and I wind up doing it. I began it today, and this semester's morphing encompasses a week's worth of exercises before we even begin talking about the actual essay assignment.
We're going to do lots and lots of exercises and make sure we understand what exactly I mean by "creating a visual image" and "using lots of adjectives."
Also (now that I've ranted on a bit) - I always approve topics. Do you do so, too, and he just didn't get it approved? Now that I've ranted, I don't remember what your original post said.
Oh, yes, you did say that you would start from now on. Yes, I always get the topic ahead of time. I also caution them to write on something concrete. I don't want to read their opinions on how to make a relationship work! (Stay away from the abstract... it may look like the light but it is, in reality, your road to a bad grade...)
M: Thanks for the insight. You can rant here anytime.
I foolishly thought that my students would know to pick decent topics. I am an idiot.
Could've been an amusing paper to read, though....
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