Ebbing frustration

I won't be able to sleep tonight unless I address something right away.

I just spent some time checking to see who posted and how the stories are forming. It was highly stressful to me to find that some people didn't post at all and others posted very little. Let me be clear: simply because this class is non-traditional in it's format does not mean that my expectations are any different. Choosing not to do in an assignment is not OK. If you post the assignment later in the day, terrific, but choosing not to do it in favor of something that takes you 10 minutes to do is insulting to me. Don't get me wrong: I like the misc. post that is thoughtful and productive, meaning that from beginning to end it shows a meaningful thought process (ie. working through writer's block, processing emotional events). I give you credit for misc. posts because I care about writing for health, for understanding and for fun. However, I also care about writing with purpose, which is what I strive to do. This year, I tell my classes that in response to any question I pose, they need to write at least as much as I do (even if it's just in how I frame the question). I've read my post from yesterday and I wrote a bunch. So, imagine how annoying it is for me to invest x amount of time and to observe .... have to run and see what Quinn just did.. his Dad just called. More later.

Back now. And to see that some people managed to spend 50 odd minutes in front of a computer without composing a single thing. Some people opened their open responses with the caveat of "I'm going to write at home when I'm more focused"; what I admire about those same people is that they use the hour to write what they need to get off their chest so they can LATER write with a story in mind.

I give a lot of thought to what I put into my profession, just as you surely measure how much you give to being a student. I have my bad days, for sure, and then other days where I'm in the zone. With this class, I do my best to show you daily what I'm about and what I value, what I know and what I have to teach/model. Each day I give you a little of my writing voice and a dose of clear writing, and, let's be honest, insight into my life and who I am.

If the nature and frequency of posting does not improve, I will consider revoking some student's access to a computer. I will blog each day for those who wish to use the blogging vehicle to its fullest and I will teach a traditional English class in my classroom for the remainder of students who are not achieving.

Thank you to those students who wrote furiously and energetically yesterday. I look forward to a new day of writing and the continuation of memoirs and stories that intrigue and excite the reader in me.

Cheers.