An open letter to my new freshman :)

Dear Students,

We've finished our first full week of classes, and I have to say I'm very impressed with you all.  As a group, I can see that the 16th wave is going to be a good one which will lead the way.  If some waves are the "math wave" or the "science wave,"  maybe you guys are the "lots of good writers wave."  I've read some stuff that has offered some "wow factor," and I've read almost nothing that made me do a facepalm.

Want

Don't Want

So while you guys have been great and fun, one thing I have had problems with is getting things organized.  As I'm sure you all know, there are a lot of blogs to deal with and more than a few students moving classes, so I am not sure all my class and blog lists on the right are complete or accurate.  Please comment below if you see any discrepancies, or if you are missing. 

I've also found that I'm already behind in marking papers and giving feedback, so please be patient.  You'll have to understand that I have 8 writing classes to deal with, and I'm going to have to find ways to give you the individual feedback you need.  If you really want me to mark up your paper with red ink, I have requirements:

• You double space it, make the font Arial size 12, and print it out.
• You put your name and class and assignment title on the paper.
• You check it first very thoroughly to eliminate sloppy errors.
• You immediately fix the errors when I give it back to you.  Please don't waste my time if you aren't going to try and improve. 

In any case, we will begin some peer editing workshops soon.  So here is what the future holds in the coming weeks after Chusock:

Next Week:

• Discussion about "Rita Hayworth & the Shawshank Redemption." Please be finished and respond in your Reading Journal #1!
• A Word Smart quiz on the first two pages of SAT Vocabulary in Chapter 4.  In my older version of the book we start with "indifferent" and end with "dispassionate" on pages 293 and 294.  What does yours say?

The Weeks after: 

• Writing Chain/Peer editing Workshops. 
• Metafiction and Found Fiction - your third assignment will be a fun creative one.
• A quiz on "Rita Hayworth & The Shawshank Redemption."
• Comparing the story to the film.

Please feel free to comment and ask questions in the class blog.  I also encourage you to leave comments on your classmate's blogs.  I've seen a bit of that, and to me it's "class participation" whether it's online or offline.

Have a good Chusock, and I'll have your comments and first assignment scores completed ASAP.  But please be patient, and help me help you by pointing out mix-ups.