I've Created a Monster!

It's 5:30 p.m. and I'm still here at work.  I just finished making an official online comment to each of my students' blogs.  And, although it's been a lot of fun - whoa is it a lot of work.

Who would have thought they'd hit the ground running?  Of course, I hoped they would, but you never know.  There are the expected snarky comments about how their teacher is making them do this "cool" assignment, but overall I sense some excitement.  And you can never underestimate untapped enthusiasm.

Now, I did say I made an official online comment to each student blog, but that's not exactly true.  There is one blog I haven't yet figured out how to respond to.  However, I feel as though I pre-sponded to the post already by distributing the following note to my students two weeks ago.

Before I cut and paste the note here, I'll tell you why I wrote it.  This semester I've decided to get into the habit of writing to my students.  As I explained to them, there are often times I'm at home, reading essays and/or stories, and I think, "I have to remember to tell them [fill in the blank]."  I usually jot the thought down, but it's not unusual for me to forget to bring it up in class.  So, instead, I've started to develop these thoughts into short notes as part of what I call my "Writer to Writer" series.  What follows is my third composition in the series...

What Other People Think

Teachers, parents, grown-ups in general – we spend a lot of time telling students, children, and kids in general not to worry about what other people think.  And, while that’s all well and good, it’s about time we try to reverse some of the damage.  Because, the fact is, it does matter what other people think.  It doesn’t matter what everybody thinks, but let’s face it...we don’t live in our own little bubbles.  We live in societies, among others with whom we need to work and play.  And as your writing teacher, I think it would be remiss of me not to acknowledge this fact.

It’s one thing to make a make a misstep in speaking.  There’s a term for that; we call it misspeaking.  But there’s no such term as miswriting.  Once you write something, it’s out there.  And, often, you’re not afforded the opportunity to immediately explain yourself.  Instead, your writing’s left to speak for you.

So be aware.  Think about how you come across to your audience.  And then consider whether you’re comfortable with your written persona.  If you are, resume.  If you’re not, rewrite.

So there you have it.  I think it's an important little lesson.  And I think it's especially important in relation to this project.

It's easy to create a blog.  Perhaps it's even easier to send the wrong message.