HHHIIIIIIIIII!!!! Welcome to your very first class blog :) In this blog, I will cover:
A Little About Me (And the Blog)I've been teaching in some form or another since 2009. I've taught ESL, English and writing at the middle school and high school levels, French 1, AP Lit, and AP Lang. My undergraduate degrees are in French and English, and my Masters of Fine Arts (or MFA) in is Creative Writing with a specialization in Nonfiction. I love reading all kinds of things: old science magazines, novels, Webtoons, cookbooks, Japanese murder mysteries, sci-fi, fantasy, historical fiction, memoir, the list goes on. I read to learn, and I read to be entertained. I also like to write all kinds of things. I've written a food memoir, a young adult fantasy novel, and right now I'm revising and rewriting the second draft of a historical fiction novel called Thessalonika about a young college student who masquerades as her male friend so that she can participate in an archeological dig in 1950's Crete. If you're curious about my writing and background, you can find more info and links to my published work at my author website. So the blog. Blogging is a medium I feel really comfortable with. In a way, you could say that my writing journey began with a blog—a food blog that I wrote over the course of the 2010's called Cupboard Sundries. That food blog evolved as I evolved, and pieces of it eventually ended up in my 50,000 word thesis for my MFA. Over the course of my teaching career, I've used process blogs and guided students to create their own online portfolios. And then when Covid hit, I leaned hard into blogs to supplement my instruction. And I never really stopped. Tips for Success this SemesterI love beginnings. Both in writing, and in life, I find that the more time and thought I invest in beginnings, the more successful they are. So, here at the beginning of our class, let's spend a little bit of time thinking about what we can do to be as successful as possible. 1. Keep an agenda. You are both a college student and a high school student. You have deadlines and time commitments coming at you from every teacher, every club, every sport you are involved in. So the single most important tip I can give you is to get into the habit of structuring your time using some sort of agenda. Your agenda can be old school paper and pen like my extremely large and ridiculous agenda (I practice what I preach, as you will see in class.) It can be an app on your phone or it can be a calendar feature on your laptop. The important thing is to use it. Every week, I will share the weekly tasks you will be responsible in the Announcements section of our Blackboard class. I highly recommend you transfer these tasks onto an agenda. 2. Become best friends with the syllabus. That syllabus has all kinds of important stuff in it. We will talk about some of the highlights together, but you are still expected to read it through from beginning to end at least once. 3. Always read the blog posts. I put a lot of instructional material right here, on this page. I often cover in it class lectures and discussions as well, but you still need to read the blog posts. Even if it's a review, even if it's boring. If I publish something here, you need to know it. For my part, I'll try to keep the blogs as concise and clear as possible. 4. Email me. Never feel shy about sending me an email. If there is something happening that is affecting your school work, and you aren't able to tell me about it in class for some reason, please email me. If you are going to be absent, or if you have a question, or if you can't make an assignment deadline, or if you have a really good K-drama recommendation, send me an email. 5. Respect deadlines. Try your very hardest not to fall behind. Prioritize your work. When you fall behind in skills and assignments, the class keeps going on without you. There is often a snowballing effect, and it can be very difficult and sometimes even impossible to catch back up when you start missing deadlines. Our Very First ReadingsWe are going to kick off the course with an in-class analytical reading of the song "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay, focusing primarily on characterization of the speaker. Your discussion response will be the same format as your homework reading. Before the next time I see you, you will also independently read the short story "A Clean, Well-Lighted Place" by Ernest Hemingway and responding to the discussion thread in Blackboard for homework. As you read, look for concrete elements of the text that help build character. |
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