Re: Eric and Fred's ideas on grading

[Latisha LaRue <kfischer@keller.clarke.edu>]

Lynne,
	I don't know if we need to be great writers but when I read the 
Eric/Fred note earlier, I had more the impression that we need to be 
engaged in writing other than just teaching.  I agree with this notion 
since being a writer makes me ever aware of the struggle, the climb, the 
weaving.  Just before break, a colleague and I decided to shoot for an 
immediate deadline and write an article in four days.  There I was in the 
midst of portfolio evaluation and grade negotiations with students, 
directing and tutoring a final very busy week in the writing lab, writing 
the three-year budget proposal for the w.l., trying to figure out how to 
make the 9 hour round trip to retreive our daughter from college and also 
dealing with ticket agents to get our college son home from d.c., and of 
course, I had not even begun to shop for Christmas for the five kids, the 
10 brothers and sisters, the etc.  But I said "yes" to the writing 
assigment.  Long about 2 a.m. one morning as I was sitting at the laptop 
hammering out my 20 pages, I was struck how much my week was going just 
like that of my students.  Not just the very busy schedule, but the fact 
that I actually had to write something and do it well in that same time 
frame.  Much as it was a week from hell, I appreciate being put through 
that experience again.
	And so, yes, I think being a writer actively engaged in 
submitting things either for publication or contest or the scrutiny of 
others beyond just writing syllabi or buisness reports makes us better 
teachers of writing.
			Katie

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Katherine M. Fischer      Box 1569               319-588-8115
English Department        Clarke College         319-588-6445
Writing Center            Dubuque IA 52001       kfischer@keller.clarke.edu

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On Tue, 2 Jan 1996, Lynne Belcher wrote:

> I'm not sure I think getting rid of grades really changes the power 
> structure in a classroom.  With or without grades the mentor/student 
> relationship still exists, and I think it should exist.  I find grading 
> to be difficult in that it forces me to to make hard decisions, 
> decisions I don't always like to make.  And though I think teaching 
> might be easier for me without grades, I'm not sure students feel the 
> same way.  If there are no grades, how are those hard decisions made 
> about who is really to move on and who isn't?
> 
> If peer tutors can be good tutors without being great writers, why 
> can't writing teachers be good teachers without being great writers?
> 
> Lynne Belcher
> Southern Arkansas University
>  
> 
>