Hurdles and Hoops

So, it's been about a month since I've written. School has gotten in the way. I think I'm finally starting to get a handle on my schedule, but this whole teaching thing has totally thrown a wrench into my life. Now I have to think about lesson plans and grading papers, in addition to doing the work for the two classes I'm taking. Somehow I managed to register for two of the most challenging classes/professors this semester, and though I keep telling myself to think about all I will have accomplished at the end of the semester, it's hard not to get bogged down by the sheer volume of reading I have to do each week. When you pair that with the teaching, well, I basically feel successful when I'm simply able to tread water.

My students are about what I expected...maybe slightly better than I thought they would be. When it comes to simply writing, they are actually pretty good. The problem is that they are only pretty good when given incredibly directed prompts. Leave them any room for the tiniest amount of creativity, and they freeze with fear, unsure of what exactly they need to do to earn a good grade. This is probably the most depressing part of teaching for me. I'm forced to teach to the assignment and grade. It doesn't really matter how much or what they learn. They simply need to be able to reproduce a very particular type of paper in order to pass the class. Though I wish this weren't the case, I realize that this is the way academia works...particularly at a major state university. It's all about the hurdles and hoops.