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Jay
Alien Abductee
Vatican City
2279 Posts |
 Posted - 01/29/2003 : 3:40:27 PM
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OK guys...a complaint here...
First off, I'm a writer. When I'm not playing guitar I'm writing something, whether it be a funny essay on a certain subject or a ghost story, I'm always doing it...wait...I'm seeting myself up by saying always doing it, right? Nevermind.
So What I'm saying is that in order for me to express myself (Which is what language is for, right?) I should do it in my own way, how I want to do it. Many an author has said that language and writing have no limitations. In fact, the best writers are the ones that write in thier own way, not the way an aging literature manual says, right? So anywho, I'm sitting in class thinking about this...If an English teacher truly cares about a student, and truly wants him or her to do well and EXPRESS themselves, then shouldn't those students be allowed to write how they want?
Now, we all have had those essay outlines for an English class. They all say things like, " Write an essay on a fun day that you had, telling about characters and things that happened." That's fine...but what is bad is this: " Write an essay not exceeding three pages, double spaced, about a fun day you had. Include dialoge and at least three differrent characters, explaining as much as you can about each one. There must be a minimum of five paragraphs of at least twelve sentances. You must include a thesis statement telling about what happened that day. Your intro should grab the audience. Your conclusion should re-state your thesis....blah blah blah..." I'm in an honors English class because my former English teacher agreed with me that kids who want to write should be allowed to write in the style that they choose, as long as they followed the rules. My English teacher now wants us to write in HER style. It pisses me off so much to know that if I write a story for her, it has to be on a subject that SHE wants to hear about, not one that I want to write about. If I want to write in my style, which is sarcastic humor, I can't because she doesn't LIKE that style.
It is my personal belief that writing is VERY important for a young person, especially if they enjoy doing it as much as I do. I also beleive that a kid should be able to express themselves the way they WANT to express themsleves, not the way Batwoman wants them too.
Done. |
"Hey man...you smell..."
"Oh yeah?"
"yeah...like dinner..." |
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Evergreen
Yak Addict
960 Posts |
Posted - 01/29/2003 : 4:31:21 PM
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Jay, I know we always kid around with you but in all seriousness, you have a great gift/talent for writing and esp humorous satire. You always make me laugh. Thats such a gift. Have you ever read Kurt Vonneguts bio. You remind me alot of him. You will encounter many many people who are control freaks(batwoman). I have had many a bad professor or teacher who, quite simply, wanted to make the students think the way they think. It's just jumping thru hoops. I say jump thru their hoops merely to get a step up(good grades and graduation)and keep writing the way you want on the side. I have a feeling once you reach a certain point in your writing experience you will surpass all your teachers and have great works published.
Great thinkers and creators have always met HUGE opposition from mediocre minds. Words of Albert Einstein paraphrased by evergreen!
Words to live by!!!!
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Jay
Alien Abductee
Vatican City
2279 Posts |
Posted - 01/29/2003 : 4:49:21 PM
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Thanks very much Evergreen!
I try to do what they want me to do simply to get a good grade, but I've always felt cheated when I can't write the way I want to...I mean I don't really ahve a problem with learning new styles and things like that, but I think that if you are going to make kids write, especially the so called "Honors" students, let them be creative and find themselves in writing...Oh, and this same teacher took 5 points off of my score (Which was a B) because I didn't have a bibliography...for a story! What was I supposed to do?
My Brain
Copyright 1987
Wiegands Limited Chardon Ohio. |
"Hey man...you smell..."
"Oh yeah?"
"yeah...like dinner..." |
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victorwootenfan
Alien Abductee
USA
2128 Posts |
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Jay
Alien Abductee
Vatican City
2279 Posts |
Posted - 01/29/2003 : 4:57:55 PM
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| I've been meaning to do some reaidng on Einny. Of course, I have to read books off of a damn LIST in english, and most of them totally blow. |
"Hey man...you smell..."
"Oh yeah?"
"yeah...like dinner..." |
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PJK
Alien Abductee
USA
4159 Posts |
Posted - 01/31/2003 : 10:11:20 PM
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Jay, I feel for you. I teach english, along with, math, science, social studies and study skills....I wear many hats. I am more interested in my students getting their thoughts down on paper than anything else. We do a lot of editing both by their peers and myself and other teachers. I tell the kids not to sweat editing because I really don't care how bad their spelling or sentence structure is because we can fix them, what I can't fix is their ideas. That is the part that comes from within.
We try to give the kids a lot of freedom in their writing. I for one love the creativity some of them have! Amazing really, and I find that their writing often tells me a great deal about who they are. It is a highway to their soul.
Both of my kids were in the honors/ap classes in high school. One time I typed up an english paper for my son because he was really pressed for time and I told him it was the lamest paper I had ever read! It was soooo bad! Guess what? The teacher gave him an A on it! I guess he met all the requirements and it didn't matter how stupid the paper was! Go figure?
Just write what you need to in order to get the grade in class and do your creative writing at home.You don't need the hassel of watching your creative works torn apart!
Hopefully next year you will have someone for english who appreciates a creative mind. |
"It is hard enough to remember my opinions, without also remembering my reasons for them!"Friedrich Nietzsche |
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Fluffy
Administrator
USA
10739 Posts |
Posted - 02/03/2003 : 4:30:37 PM
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| My favorite writers are Hunter S Thompson and Charles Bukowski. One of the reasons I like them so much is that I feel like they are talking to me. NOT WRITING. I highly admire your style of writing Jay and hope that you don't lose that because of a system that trys to stifle creativity and individuality. This has been one of my main arguments against art schools. Especially the Corcoran. I had alot of friends who went there and all I ever heard about were just fucking horror stories. I kept thinking, "Who lets these assholes teach?" But don't get me started on this. This is a pet peeve that is very close to my heart. It almost directly correlates to my feelings on the state of the music industry. Creativity and individuality is just not encouraged or supported in the American society we live in. CONFORM is the keyword these days. UGGGHHHH |
Peace & Keep the Faith
Fluffy         
"THE MUSIC BUSINESS IS A CRUEL AND SHALLOW MONEY TRENCH-- A LONG PLASTIC HALLWAY WHERE THIEVES AND PIMPS RUN FREE AND GOOD MEN DIE LIKE DOGS. THERE'S ALSO A NEGATIVE SIDE..." -Hunter S. Thompson |
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Dickey500
Chatterbox
USA
144 Posts |
Posted - 02/03/2003 : 5:28:22 PM
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OK, first of all, I feel your pain. I do, however, understand why your teacher (and most teachers) create assignments like this. High school and college are there to teach you about, and train you for the future. It's easy for a teacher to say "Write whatever the hell you want about this topic." That's not teaching - that's facilitating. In order to explore your own skills, you have to learn to deal with challenges. The limits imposed on your paper are an academic challenge - they are a test of your abilities to rise to the occasion. Just think of it as mental boot camp...you'll emerge with the ability to face numerous situations.
I think the best way for me to explain myself is this: I'm about to finish med school, and in order to get to this point I had to memorize hundreds of equations, chemicals, body parts, and biologic processes. Most of it was forgotten the day after the test - but I'm glad my abilities were tested. School teaches you to think and deal with various scenarios. Doing it "your way" forever will turn you into what you think your teacher has become - single-minded and unbendable. Everything you do is an opportunity to learn something...don't look down on "the rules" because they may help make you better somehow. |
"All of us contain Music & Truth, but most of us can't get it out." - Mark Twain |
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victorwootenfan
Alien Abductee
USA
2128 Posts |
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Where is school going these days?
