I don't care.
So. Just taught another round with "Comp Class: Impossible."
The latest and most unified complaint about discussion from the last, attempted intervention (you know, the one after which I stopped caring?) was that too many of our discussions were open-ended and that the students wanted more direction. They also wanted to do more scansion, because they were confused.
Today, I did a structured, directed reading of a poem, involving a scansion exercise. And then I did some structured introductory discussion about Midsummer Night's Dream which included charting exercises to help direct their reading.
The response? Was atrocious. I got a few reluctant comments, which I had to draaaaag out of them by asking increasingly simple questions until it would have been blatantly dishonorable of them not to reply. On the other hand, I got loads of:
1) blank stares,
2) awkward silences,
3) sheepish grimaces, and
4) very vocal interventions by the kid who's decided I'm "closed minded"** and who now relentlessly challenges me, even when I don't disagree with him.
Can you tell how very much I don't care?
Because I don't. Not at all.
Here's something else I've decided not to care about:* This guy, who says that anonymous bloggers, especially those of us who got annoyed by our old pal Ivan Tribble, are just taking things too seriously. Because, after all, an anonymous Chronicle columnist questioning our ability to get hired after decades of study and career investment is no big deal. Plus, we're whiny and timid. In general, quoth our jovial friend, we're taking blogging entirely too seriously. Really, we ought to lighten up and crack some jokes every once in a while, like he does.
Nope. I don't care.
La la la, la la.
Now this, my friends, is something to care about. Because seriously? That's Just Not Right.
------
* Hat tip to New Kid on this one.
** This is because I told him that a theory which depended upon making up an entire narrative that neither exists in the poem in question, nor is alluded to by it probably wasn't the best possible theory. Hmm. I guess he doesn't shave with Occam's razor.
The latest and most unified complaint about discussion from the last, attempted intervention (you know, the one after which I stopped caring?) was that too many of our discussions were open-ended and that the students wanted more direction. They also wanted to do more scansion, because they were confused.
Today, I did a structured, directed reading of a poem, involving a scansion exercise. And then I did some structured introductory discussion about Midsummer Night's Dream which included charting exercises to help direct their reading.
The response? Was atrocious. I got a few reluctant comments, which I had to draaaaag out of them by asking increasingly simple questions until it would have been blatantly dishonorable of them not to reply. On the other hand, I got loads of:
1) blank stares,
2) awkward silences,
3) sheepish grimaces, and
4) very vocal interventions by the kid who's decided I'm "closed minded"** and who now relentlessly challenges me, even when I don't disagree with him.
Can you tell how very much I don't care?
Because I don't. Not at all.
Here's something else I've decided not to care about:* This guy, who says that anonymous bloggers, especially those of us who got annoyed by our old pal Ivan Tribble, are just taking things too seriously. Because, after all, an anonymous Chronicle columnist questioning our ability to get hired after decades of study and career investment is no big deal. Plus, we're whiny and timid. In general, quoth our jovial friend, we're taking blogging entirely too seriously. Really, we ought to lighten up and crack some jokes every once in a while, like he does.
Nope. I don't care.
La la la, la la.
Now this, my friends, is something to care about. Because seriously? That's Just Not Right.
------
* Hat tip to New Kid on this one.
** This is because I told him that a theory which depended upon making up an entire narrative that neither exists in the poem in question, nor is alluded to by it probably wasn't the best possible theory. Hmm. I guess he doesn't shave with Occam's razor.
posted by Ancrene Wiseass | 7:13 PM
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