Posted by
AJH on Wednesday, June 11, 2008 3:57:00 PM
Besides my computer crashing and too little time to get things done in my life, the class was great. I really appreciated the fact that each of us could select a topic of our own choosing and that our primary focus was one paper rather than several. In my opinion, good writing relies heavily on editing and input from others. Rewriting is essential.
That said, I picked a difficult subject, the Civil War, honing in on one battle (Perryville) in particular. Sometimes I am too overly ambitious for my own good. It is a beast to handle, trying to manage it and the notes. I guess Van's note on organization was good advice. Of course, I knew this, but one really doesn't understand the full scope of it until trying to put a book together, which is my final objective.
The journal entries were a fantastic addition. I really enjoyed writing them, escpecially the leeway given on the topics. I firmly believe that if students are given options on assignments, they usually will be much better because of the personal investment.
I have been sick for the past few days. I thought I was getting better, but whatever it is keeps lingering. I am really burned out and can not wait for the coming break. I have signed on for a full load of summer school, and then I should be done. As of now, I am applying to teach English in Austria. If I don't get that gig, then my fall back is a school in Poland. I would really love to live in Vienna for a year though.
While I love writing, teaching kids is also a lot of fun. They are so precocious and usually quite eager. What I need to do is sequester myself somewhere with my source books and get to writing. Perhaps I will have time and the focus to do this in Europe. For me, the United States is getting stale and boring. I hear that Berlin is the place to be. Me, I just want a decent job with some free time so I may write and visit places throughout the continent.
Overall, the class was well-organized and thought out. I would recommend it to my fellow students and friends. Van, if I ever get my 'Perryville' book done, I will send you a copy. The only thing I would change is making the final paper due during finals week rather than another journal entry. I would also provide examples of what is expected, a sample journal entry, focus paper, and so on.