We’re nearing the semester’s midpoint now; this paragraph is my standard “midterm pep talk.” First, congratulations to all of you who are still here. Online courses are challenging, even if students have chosen that method, and many of you are taking online courses because that’s the only option. So give yourself a pat on the back for completing half of the course work. If you’re struggling or not completing assignments for ANY reason, you should talk to me. Send me an email, schedule your conference for WP Two, even if you don’t have a draft. As I noted in the Blackboard announcement, we’re approaching the time when you may not be able to salvage your grade. I am flexible, but you have to do the work. Make an attempt; it will be better than you think, I bet.
This is also the time when everyone starts feeling burned out. Judging by the lack of submitted work from some of you, you may already be at that point. That’s okay; it’s important to remember that college is stressful. Course work is WORK. If you feel stressed, that’s probably normal.
However, it’s also important to remember that most college students have been in your place. It’s also important to remember that we can make our problems seem larger than they are. Here’s an example: I had a student who was a Marine veteran. He had been a grunt (infantry), which is a pretty hardcore occupation. He had tours in Afghanistan. In one writing prompt, he discussed how they had to carefully gauge potential opponents. This sometimes meant considering whether or not to shoot a twelve-year-old kid carrying an AK-47. Think of the pressure of situation: make the wrong choice and you can die or be a war criminal. Make the right choice and you carry on with the mission. That student said that writing papers for his class was, “the hardest thing he had ever done.” I had to tell him that no, our papers weren’t the hardest thing that he’s done. I’m sure that they felt hard; most students who struggle with writing do so because they lack experience writing and reading. The lesson here is perspective. While this course may be hard, it’s probably not the only difficult thing you’ve had to do.
Being stressed is normal. Struggling is normal. But so is completing course work, even when your attempt is not perfect. You can’t change what you’ve missed in the past, but you can change your performance now and for the rest of the semester. This may sound like some motivational BS, but I’m not presenting it as revolutionary, life-changing information. It’s the truth; it’s always been the truth.
The grades for WP One are posted. When you view WP One’s grade, you’ll see an attached rubric. The rubric is divided into sections covering aspects of the assignment. These cover how well the paper accomplishes the assignment task, how well it signals its structure, how well it’s developed, and how well it meets formatting and editing standards. These aspects are often called focus, organization, development, and editing (or maybe grammar). Most writing instructors will use some version of these criteria to evaluate your work. They ask important questions about your writing: Are you performing the assignment task? Are you offering a coherent piece of writing that flows well? Have you provided enough description, examples, and/or evidence in the draft? Have you met the disciplinary standards for style and correctness?
On the rubric sheet I’ll use checks to highlight areas where the paper is successful and X’s to show areas that need more work. Keep your overall score in mind as you read these checks and X’s. For example, if I mark an X in a criterion about “examples” and you think, “But I do have examples,” look at your score. If it’s a B+ or similar score, I most likely recognized your examples, but those are keeping your paper from reaching an A level. As always, if anything seems unclear, send me an email and ask me questions and I’ll do my best to answer them. Also, remember that any grade you receive is an evaluation of work that you’ve performed (or haven’t performed) in the course, and it’s absolutely not a judgment of who you are. If you truly give a draft your best effort and it earns a C, you should be happy and not disappointed. You’ve learned, and you will continue to learn. Stay focused for the second half of the course to ensure that your semester will be a successful one.
