My turn!

So I'm thinking that I should take a more active role in the class blog here, so I want to post on the topics. On the other hand, I don't want to step on anyone's toes, since I feel that someone would feel odd posting an opinion that ran directly counter to mine on a topic -- or even worse, if we thought exactly the same way about something, so that you'd feel like you had to write, "Wow, I think exactly the same thing that Mr. Humphrey thinks . . . swell." Which means that I will be posting a week behind schedule, to give you all time and opportunity to post your responses without any interference from me. And if you post late, well you're already deserving of some trials and tribulations for your lateness, so tough cookies.


How would I grade this class? Well, I already graded all of you, so there doesn't seem much point in saying more than that. I did want you to recognize that it is very difficult to assign a grade to a person for anything larger than a single assignment; I can look at a vocab test and say, "Sure, she only knew three-quarters of the words -- that's a C." But it's a little more troubling to look at a student, especially someone I have some kind of connection with owing to our conversations over the last four months, and think that the grade you earned in the class is actually what you deserve. Since I myself earned terrible grades in high school thanks to my own laziness, I don't feel too bad about giving low grades to students I like, but I really hate giving high grades to students I don't like. Feels like I'm rewarding people for being some form of twit, and I don't like doing that. And I do both of those things (low grades to nice students, high grades to not-nice students) every semester. So you should be aware of the difficulty of doing that -- hence the assignment to grade the class.
I'm glad so many of you liked the class. I am sorry for the boring out-loud reading of Fahrenheit 451, but honestly, what the heck is wrong with reading a book? Why do I need to make a book more exciting than it already is with projects and assignments and things? Isn't it enough that it's a book? I understand if you didn't like it -- well no I don't; I love that book and I can't fathom why people would think it was boring, but I know people do, so I get that some of you probably did -- but I am a teacher, not a clown, so your amusement is not my goal. Your education is. Sorry if you didn't learn anything, or didn't learn as much as you thought you should; we'll try and do better next semester.

As for the talking issue, I've brought it up in class several times.  The thing is that each of you needs to make a decision: is it more important that I speak out, say the comment that is flashing into my mind right now, or is it more important that I listen to what other people are saying?  There are certainly times to say what you are thinking, especially when you are asked to share what you are thinking -- but there are also times to NOT say what you think of right away.  Maybe not even say it at all.  I don't think this class is very good at the second thing.  Every time we have a topic, or I ask a question, it isn't only one person who has to answer, or who makes some witty remark; it's eight or nine or ten people, and those who don't get a chance to say it to the whole class, say it to each other.  That's how the side conversations start.  They continue because the person responds with their own witty remark, and then the pair has to go back and forth and back and forth.  Multiply that by fifteen.

I know it isn't really fair of me to be saying this, since I get to say my witty remarks all the time; but you have to realize that for every one I say, there are anywhere from ten to a hundred in any given class period that I don't say.  Sex, for instance.  I think of jokes and one-liners all the time that relate to sex, but I can't say 'em.  Same thing with cussing.  I can cuss a blue streak, I can string together a half dozen different insults into a stream-of-consciousness burn-a-thon, but I can't say any of it in school.

I know you're now hoping that I will do this in class.  I won't.  We have already pushed foul language as far as we can today, and there will be no more of it.  Seriously.  This is not the time or the place for cursing, and I would like to encourage you to learn other words to use instead of profanity.  Coprophage, for instance.  Look it up.

So there are plenty of things that I don't get to say.  More importantly, I want to hear what you have to say, so I try to spend at least some time listening.  And believe me, there are some students (though honestly, you all are much better about this than my regular LA classes) who tell stories that I do not want to hear: pointless, boring, annoying, insulting, inappropriate, you name it.  I have to keep my mouth shut and listen.

Because it's the only way I can learn.
So I'd give this class a C-, maybe even a D+.  I think I am an average teacher, since I am very good at some things and terrible at others.  But you all could have learned a great amount from each other, but you didn't learn half as much as you could have, because you talked twice as much as you should have.  I think you should try listening more, and not saying whatever comes to mind.