I'm Sad...

I haven't shared this in my classes, but I feel as though it would be the best place to do it. Last week, when that horrible bus accident occurred, it really affected me. I thought of my own students and the fact that many of my students are represented by those five students who perished in that bus tragedy. Looking at the faces on the news, I feel as though I am looking at the faces of my students in my classes. Like them, many of my students are the first people to attend college in their family. Like them, my students have tremendous hopes and dreams for their future. Like them, my students believe they will live forever. Yet...that isn't the case, as we saw in that tragedy.

I think about the parents who gave permission for their children to get on that bus, thinking nothing horrific could happen to them. These were "good" kids with goals and strong work ethics. Life is "good" for kids like this. How many parents said good-bye that day? How many parents were there to see off the bus on its way? That seems like something an elementary or middle school parent would do, but I wonder how these parents of high-schoolers have wished they would have been there,  if they weren't.

That is where my mind is on that tragedy. It "hits a little too close to home" for me. Any one of them could have been sitting in my English 99 or English 101 classes next semester, but they're not. And they won't be...

Yikes! I'm Swamped!

As I am reading student blogs, I realized it has been some time since I have posted a blog post.

I have to be honest. It has everything to do with the fact that I am swamped. I wonder if students realize that teachers are as busy as they are. Given that I teach writing, I am perpetually behind at reading writing. I have had "funny" students tell me I could stop assigning it. While that would be lovely, and I could find a way to "test" students through scantrons, it wouldn't help my students' writing get stronger. Thus, I am continually reading and running behind on writing...

And to be honest, I hate being behind. My favorite days in class are the days when essays and all ancillary work has been graded and handed back. Those days seem only to exist at the beginning of the semester and at the end.

For my students who are reading this, I care. Trust me, I care that you care about your grades. Just bear with me, as I slowly work through all of your writing.