Education
Power Surge & Trigger Warnings
Power Surge’s road to publication has been long and bumpy, but as it gets closer and closer to publication date, I want to take a minute to discuss the age category, trigger warnings, and mature content. I’ve rarely thought of Power Surge as anything other than Young Adult (YA). However, you may notice it listed…
Read MoreFantasy a No Go with This Years Students
Back in January, you may have seen my post about using novels instead of textbooks for my ENG101 and RWR090 classes. Two of the novels worked out okay, but one was a disaster. Feed by M. T. Anderson This semester’s 101 students weren’t as enthusiastic about Feed as last semesters, but after a rocky start,…
Read MoreReplacing Textbooks With novels in First Year Writing
For the past five years, I’ve taught first year writing at community college and state universities. I assigned textbooks and/or trade books based on what other teachers used or what seemed like the kind of book college students should read. It didn’t work out so well. Now, I’m using books I get excited about. The…
Read MoreWhy Bullshitted Papers are Underrated
Why Bullshitted Papers are Underrated By Sara Codair It’s the last day of class before finals. While some students have their notebooks and netbooks open, ready to take notes, others are glancing at their phone, counting down the minutes until I give them permission to leave. They’re all exhausted. Most have been working all day,…
Read MorePublication and Politics
For the past few years, I had been living under a metaphorical rock. Things like the news, current, events, and politics gave me panic attacks. Last year, I had a wake up call and realized that ignoring the news wasn’t making it any less scary. I used to show my students a documentary called “The…
Read MoreNo Back to School Blues
For many childless adults, the idea of having summers off and going “back to school” in the fall is a distant memory. However, for those of us who haven’t spent much time working in the illusion known as the “real word,” summers off, or at least a off from our regular job, is a very…
Read MoreFour Lessons About the Writing Process I Didn’t Believe Until I Started Teaching
“I’ve spent like, a total of 12 hours on this essay and my instructor wants me to revise it again! This is the third draft! It has to be good!” -anonymous student Four Lessons About the Writing Process I Didn’t Believe Until I Started Teaching By Sara Codair As a professional tutor working in a busy…
Read MoreEnd Elitist Information, Democratize Academia
I find it terrifying when I realize that scientist and the media are playing a game of virtual telephone with information.
Read MoreFinals Week and Chicken Soup
As the semester comes to an end, it can be hard to remember to eat at all, let alone eat healthy. This was true for me when I was a student, and still is true now that I am a teacher. Since women cannot survive on chocolate alone (though we often want to), I believe…
Read MoreA Fun Run for the Developing Writer’s Brain
Creative Writing exercises are my favorite thing to do in class. However, I used to think there wasn’t room for them in a first year writing class. I couldn’t have been more wrong. Teaching any kind of writing without creative exercises is like a coach who doesn’t encourage his or her athletes to run or…
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