Interesting story about your professor and the essays. She probably focused on you and reading your essays exclusively, because she recognized talent and wanted to drive that home on you. English was also one of my best subjects, along with science. I sucked at math, but excelled at grammar. I seldom had the discipline to complete a writing assignment.
Once in junior high I worked late into the night finishing a poem for the next day's assignment. It was from the heart, and I was very proud of it. The (lesbian) teacher gave me a zero, and accused me of plagiarism. She was adamant that it could not have been my own work. I never got over that.
Once in high school I was forced to take a summer class to make up a lost credit. It was an English class. One assignment was to write several paragraphs focusing on description to paint a picture in the reader's mind. The teacher chose mine to read to the class. I got an A. ( without a minus, lol )
Great to hear you for the first time Mike. RE 'proper teaching' ...I had a friend who is a drummer. His drumming had a sort of rhymic hitch, he kept great time but a lack of squareness in it that I loved. I was always glad that he had NOT had drum lessons that would have sought to remove that hitch. So much teaching seeks to pour us into a preconceived box like so much concrete. So few teachers are skilled at making sure the individual human remains intact in the process. In my own life I am a computer drafter (!) who like you was trained to draft by hand. I liked hand drafting and was good at it when I came to Oregon from Detroit in 1992, but once I got out here, I (slowly) got myself 'up to speed' on dumb-puters (what i call computers). One of my supervisors looked at my first computer drawings and expressed sadness that I too had been 'eaten' by the machine, now my drawings looked just like everyone elses computer drawings. I am so glad it made him sad, I think he is right. It's like you can't just go back, restore the human 'hitch' into the drumming once trained out, squared up.
Thanks Riannon...he is an early brewer, and for the life of me I cannot locate his name. I pulled the image of the bust from off a brewing website, and cannot remember. He made beer or wine, and for that, I laud him. I think his name started with an M, if that helps. best
I would guess most of your readers are people that used to like to write, and loved to read. I am glad that you are a writer. I did not like school, I was worthless, never did any homework, I was dirty, hungry and odd, the teachers either did not like me or they did not remember me. As a teenager suddenly at a new school I was placed in a "gifted" kids group in english based on a test I took the first week. I told the teacher it must be a mistake and that I was no good, but she did not believe me. It stressed me out and I had to fake being great at english to try and not disappoint her for two years! Not long into the first term another teacher took me aside and told me I had done an awesome job in his history class and he expected great things from me. Then I had to start doing history homework. It is the key to all students hearts, to tell them they are great at the subject, it will make them work really hard to not disappoint. But you really are great Mike.
Interesting story about your professor and the essays. She probably focused on you and reading your essays exclusively, because she recognized talent and wanted to drive that home on you. English was also one of my best subjects, along with science. I sucked at math, but excelled at grammar. I seldom had the discipline to complete a writing assignment.
Once in junior high I worked late into the night finishing a poem for the next day's assignment. It was from the heart, and I was very proud of it. The (lesbian) teacher gave me a zero, and accused me of plagiarism. She was adamant that it could not have been my own work. I never got over that.
Once in high school I was forced to take a summer class to make up a lost credit. It was an English class. One assignment was to write several paragraphs focusing on description to paint a picture in the reader's mind. The teacher chose mine to read to the class. I got an A. ( without a minus, lol )
Dave did you try and slide out of your chair when the teacher read your paper? I could go for awhile on plagiarism. Maybe down the road.
Actually, I was surprised, but embarrassed and pleased at the same time. At least he knew I wrote it.
I didn’t mention this but Imelda eventually pointed me out.
Great to hear you for the first time Mike. RE 'proper teaching' ...I had a friend who is a drummer. His drumming had a sort of rhymic hitch, he kept great time but a lack of squareness in it that I loved. I was always glad that he had NOT had drum lessons that would have sought to remove that hitch. So much teaching seeks to pour us into a preconceived box like so much concrete. So few teachers are skilled at making sure the individual human remains intact in the process. In my own life I am a computer drafter (!) who like you was trained to draft by hand. I liked hand drafting and was good at it when I came to Oregon from Detroit in 1992, but once I got out here, I (slowly) got myself 'up to speed' on dumb-puters (what i call computers). One of my supervisors looked at my first computer drawings and expressed sadness that I too had been 'eaten' by the machine, now my drawings looked just like everyone elses computer drawings. I am so glad it made him sad, I think he is right. It's like you can't just go back, restore the human 'hitch' into the drumming once trained out, squared up.
Jacquelyn, am wondering, who is the person pictured there by your name?
Thanks Riannon...he is an early brewer, and for the life of me I cannot locate his name. I pulled the image of the bust from off a brewing website, and cannot remember. He made beer or wine, and for that, I laud him. I think his name started with an M, if that helps. best
Thanks for sharing that.
Thanks, very interesting!
I would guess most of your readers are people that used to like to write, and loved to read. I am glad that you are a writer. I did not like school, I was worthless, never did any homework, I was dirty, hungry and odd, the teachers either did not like me or they did not remember me. As a teenager suddenly at a new school I was placed in a "gifted" kids group in english based on a test I took the first week. I told the teacher it must be a mistake and that I was no good, but she did not believe me. It stressed me out and I had to fake being great at english to try and not disappoint her for two years! Not long into the first term another teacher took me aside and told me I had done an awesome job in his history class and he expected great things from me. Then I had to start doing history homework. It is the key to all students hearts, to tell them they are great at the subject, it will make them work really hard to not disappoint. But you really are great Mike.