Freshman English

I have come to enjoy this class time and really dislike the actual work. Mr. C assigns different model essays to read, usually a controversial topic. We then discuss these topics in class and Mr. C loves to play devils advocate. If you come down on one side of an issue, he will come down on the other, ask provoking questions, and require you to defend your position. When he asks a general question on how people feel about an issue, I’ve learned that, unless I want to be the target of the questions, I need to keep my hand down! Mr. C will randomly pick on people so I get my share of talking done without raising my hand. I really enjoy the discussions but “to be seen and not heard,” that’s my motto.

The goal of this class is to teach me how to write essays. So far, I’ve only had to write a paragraph on corporal punishment but, as we get farther into the semester, the writing portion of the class will increase and the grammar portion will decrease. It is definitely a challenge to have to put down in writing reasons for your beliefs. For instance, I know that spanking, when warranted, is a good thing, but then I have to come up with three reasons along with evidence to support those reasons. And “’cause the Bible says” isn’t good enough.

A frustration of this class is that Mr. C is entirely too busy. He only teaches one night a week and so the greater portion of his time is spent on his real job. To complicate matters, he has to pick his daughter up from dance class immediately after class so there is no sticking around to discuss anything that needs to be discussed. He has good intentions of responding to emails but it doesn’t happen, at least it hasn’t so far. The quizzes that we have taken so far in this class have not been returned so I have no idea how I’m doing in the class, grade-wise.

I guess time will be the great revealer.