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Surviving Freshman English: August 2009
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Sunday, August 23, 2009. Here we are at the start of another college term. More than ever before, I'm realizing that the new freshmen (that's you) are pretty clueless and frightened about the whole process, and that I need to give you grace and help. That's part of the point behind this blog. I assume, by students' behavior, that when you were in high school, only your physical presence was required in a room. If you spent the time sleeping or staring out the window or text messaging, the teacher did...
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Surviving Freshman English: June 2008
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Tuesday, June 24, 2008. Just finding a place to put your car—sounds so easy, but it's near the top of "things that make me crazy." A few random thoughts:. You should assume the worst: schedule a full half hour for the search for a parking place. If you do better, bonanza! Don't forget to schedule time to walk from a distant parking place to your class. See if you can figure out when the peak times for parking occur. Show up during off-peak times and study while you're waiting for class. Smart people don'...
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Surviving Freshman English: May 2009
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Tuesday, May 26, 2009. Most non-football players think team members spend their time goofing off in the gym. Most football players disagree. Other sports probably have similar problems, but the football players seem to have the most intense schedule problems. Let's look at it in some detail:. 3 hours for academic classes (Assuming a 15-credit load, spread evenly over the five days). 8 hours for sleep (a number you probably should not cut back on—an athlete in training might need more). The spring semeste...
freshsurvive.blogspot.com
Surviving Freshman English: August 2008
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Thursday, August 28, 2008. Also known as "thumb drives" (if you're very old, I guess, and have a very small thumb). This has got to be one of the finest inventions of the computer age. I have three of them. The joy is that they're almost totally device-independent (which means they don't care what kind of computer they're plugged into) and quite stable and robust. You do need one (or more—I have three). But I do have some advice:. They're very easy to leave in a computer lab. I've done it a lot mysel...
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Surviving Freshman English: July 2009
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Monday, July 27, 2009. My High School Teacher Doesn't Agree. Public school teachers don't need specialized education. Yes it's true. Especially in the lower grades (and many of my students haven't actually done anything with English since the 7th grade) a general degree in education is enough. That's not true in college. A master's degree in the specific subject is the minimum to teach here, and most college instructors have more. Tighten up, there are plenty of ignorant teachers out there.). People who ...
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Surviving Freshman English: May 2008
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Saturday, May 31, 2008. Every college course you take will have a syllabus. This is the list of rules and regulations for the course, along with a schedule of readings and assignments due. (My courses are a bit unusual because I publish the schedule as a separate document from the rules.) Typically, a copy of the syllabus is filed with the Department supervisor, and occasionally reviewed so the rules end up being fair and appropriate. Or "How could my grade be so low when I only fouled up one paper?
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Surviving Freshman English: People with Issues
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Saturday, May 23, 2009. The spring semester has been finished for about two weeks now, and as usual, I get to thinking about the students who should have passed with a good grade, but didn't. From my reading and talking with other faculty, I know this isn't an issue that's restricted to my classrooms. These people are everywhere, and they seem to divide neatly into three groups:. These people won't be reading this blog, and I'm not writing to them anyhow. 1a Not on my wavelength. Do what is assigned.
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Surviving Freshman English: April 2009
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Sunday, April 5, 2009. Who will stay; who will leave. I haven't written much on this blog recently—in a sense I said it all. I'm near the end of the second semester, though, and looking at a disturbing trend among my students. Yet another politically-incorrect comment coming. I could go on, but I won't. These students will get poor grades for the course; they are very likely to think I have been unfair; they might not be back in school next year. Yes, they could do the work. They just couldn't tu...In th...
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Surviving Freshman English: The Ultimate Steal
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Monday, September 7, 2009. Ashland students can get a full copy of Microsoft Word (either Mac or Windows) from the IT department. If you have one of those tiny notebook computers without a CD drive, they will even install it for you. Akron students don't get a deal like that, but I've found one that's close. It's called The Ultimate Steal. And offers a download version of the full suite for $60. If even $60 is a problem, I'd suggest Open Office. If you have Windows or NeoOffice. Links back to your courses.
