Introduction

Hello, my name is Karen, and I majored in English.

I didn’t want to teach. I wanted to be a writer. I only had a vague notion of what I had to do to become a writer, and I never really tried very hard to find out more. I graduated with excellent grades and a BA in English. Because “never a day without a line” was “try to at least open Word this month”, Payless Shoes didn’t want to hire anyone with a college degree, and I missed being in school, I went back and got my Master’s degree in English Education.

I didn’t want to teach elementary brats. I didn’t want to teach pre-teen even brattier brats. I didn’t want to teach hormone-driven high school bratty brat brats. I figured I’d teach the students who really wanted to learn: college students.

I took all my Master’s courses including the pompously titled “Language, Cognition and Writing”, “Multicultural Literature” and “Sociological Bases of Education”. I didn’t need to become state-certified to teach college, and I therefore didn’t need to student teach. So I didn’t.

I graduated in February and by August I had a position at a prestigious private university teaching two sections of freshman composition: Writing 100.

Why did I ever think that reading Off White: Readings on Power, Privilege, and Resistance would prepare me for a real classroom? Why did I never hear anything about how to design a writing assignment, how to design a syllabus, or how to calculate grades? And why did I ever think that college students actually wanted to learn?

My name is Karen, and I teach college writing.

This is my blog for English majors who want to be writers, prospective teachers soon to be eaten alive by their students, and, hopefully, some of those pompous jerks who think they’re teaching graduate students how to teach.

I will discuss the struggles, the pitfalls, and the triumphs. I will give to you what tips I have figured out after five (going into six) crazy semesters. I will beg of you professor veterans to post your suggestions, your tips, your horror stories and your inspirational stories here (selfishly) for me, and for all who care to learn how to really teach college-level writing.

Stay tuned for my future postings which will include: “You’re On Your Own, Sucker”, “Freshman are Still High School Students”, and “Have Money, Will Admit”. I will be including (sans identifying information, of course) actual student writing. Brace yourself, and God help us all.