Final exam

Photo (jealously tweeted) by Jeff Montgomery

For my self-administered mid-term, I told you what I'd learned while teaching. For my final exam, I thought it was only fair that I let you in on what my students learned from my class. Stealing the idea from my fellow adjunct Ian (who stole it from someone else, who stole it from someone else, etc.), I had my students tell me what they took away from our time together. Here's what they said.

• "The papers were always what helped me learn the best. Actually putting what we learned on paper and getting to put things into practice was a lot better than just sitting there reading out of the book and reading what someone else had put into practice. I liked having conferences with you; you just really get a better feel for what the teacher is looking for when you can sit down and read through your paper with them. You are able to discuss the comments made on your paper rather than trying to interpret what the teacher meant by the comment made."
• "I learned not to be wordy — to be straight to the point."
• "In Comp. 1 I have learned how to write better. I feel as if my writing improved greatly. My grammar and sentences as well as organization and purpose of writing improved a lot. Thank you for all the help. You have honestly been one of the most helpful English teachers I have ever had."
• "The big thing that I learned that will stick with me is how to properly use commas. I also feel a lot more comfortable writing the different types of essays that we did. The grammar work was also good practice. What I liked most and helped me a lot was practice on being more descriptive. I think you did a good job pushing that."

I feel like a proud momma, bursting with pride realizing her little ones are all grown up. They have taken my teachings to heart and are going to be OK in the big, scary world of Comp. 2. I really enjoyed this class. I'm going to miss them a lot; I'm not going to miss grading one little bitty bit, though.