I'm actually kind of concerned about writing this paper. As it is, I know that I've chosen a challenging assignment that I hope will help students to understand the significance of knowing all sides of an argument, to question and support their assumptions and beliefs, and to recognize the role audience plays in a paper.
However, my fear with writing this paper is not that I will not write it well, but rather that I will write it too well. My definitions of "good" writing have gotten more and more strict as my writing has gotten better (not a big shock, I'm sure). Part of what makes someone else's work "good" in my eyes is whether I can write it better (think of a better argument, phrase a sentence more eloquently, etc). I am afraid that if I write this paper, I will judge my students by comparing their papers to mine, rather than to the standards they should be expected to meet.
I know that I will have to get over this at some point, but I hope that this does not make it worse!
--Bri
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2 comments:
Bri,
I don't actually know if you ever had a chance to work with students and/or grade their papers. I used to do it a couple of times, and I remember that few students surprised me with the novelty of their ideas or approaches, or at least the unusual modes of expression (though they were 13-14 year-olds). People write and think in their own ways, so maybe you will be able to find the alternative variants of essays that will be not like yours yet very good. They do not have to be perfect. And once you know the level of writing skills of each student in your class it is going to be easier to balance your standards and their abilities.
I must admit that I was too worried about writing a paper that was too good and would skew my expectations for my students. Imagine my surprise when I couldn't come up with enough to actually make it the required length. I never thought I would appreciate writing this paper but now I know my assignment needs considerable "tweaking".
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