English 1550 (Thursday, Dec. 1)

1. Class:

* Students completed the course evaluations, then spent the remainder of time working on their final drafts of Projects 2 and 3--the argumentative essay and the worker portrait, respectively.

2. Class analysis:

I like that Thursday's English 1550 class allowed students time to work on their drafts, especially because quite a few had questions about APA formatting (which is required for Project 2). Additionally, I learned how to make the header different on the first page in Microsoft Word (for both Mac and PC!).

Karen also spent a few minutes discussing an engaging lead ... which was from a Jambar story about a student with epilepsy. She noted how the "writer skillfully wove in quotes."

Instead of formal class on Tuesday, Karen is planning to hold conferences. I like her very hands-on approach to working with her students on very specific assignments.

3. Class implementation:

Honestly, I'm feeling completely overwhelmed right now. I'm not sure if this is a normal condition at this point of the semester, but I feel as though I still have so much to prepare for my classes in the spring ... and that I still can't get it all quite right. I think that I have a good idea of where I'd like my class to go and what I'd like my students to learn from it, but I just can't shake the feeling that I'm not really there yet. For the past week or so, I've been really looking at and evaluating my tentative syllabus and schedule, assignments, and course readings, making changes when necessary. But I'm just worried that there's so much that I'm not anticipating or not prepared for or completely overlooking.

BONUS! Karen's Quotes of the Day:

"Breathe."

"It's not as bad as it first looks."