Drafting an EN1000 Paper

I decided to be a bit ambitious and begin drafting my paper on Friday morning. However, I learned that it is very difficult to begin an essay for which the assignment is still formulating in the brain. I feel that there is still much to be revised on my assignment sheet and rubric, which makes writing the draft very difficult. I know that is the point of the paper, of course, but I was still surprised at how many holes and uncertainties were present. I felt as if every thesis statement was generic or boring. Now I remember how freshmen feel (although I still feel this way for every seminar paper). However, I expected this assignment to be "easier" since the expectations are different, or are they? As an over-achiever, I have the same expectation for every assignment, and looking over my rubric again while thinking of unspoken assumptions I realized I assume all students should want to make the "A."

I guess what I still struggle with, even after teaching, is realizing that some students are perfectly happy with a "C" or even a "D" as long as they pass. I structure my assignments and rubrics around the hope of an "A" which makes me wonder if my wording is a bit harsh or advanced. Should a "C" sound like so much of a lesser paper. I know I don't feel as if I can write my own "A" paper with all of my other responsibilities, so should I really make it sound like the most important accomplishment on the rubric since the students also have many responsibilities? I assume students have a lot of time to work on a draft and understand some literary terms such as "transition" and "parallel structure." I think in my class I will first go over some important concepts so that students can easily decipher my expectations.