I finished grading all the midterms this morning. (I'm teaching only two classes right now because I'm teaching a May-term this year as well, so it was relatively easy.) I'm so immensely proud of the way my students are thinking through problems and phenomena and coming up with amazing theses. I mean, I wouldn't be surprised if I saw something like this as an abstract in a professional journal: "When reading Amelia Lanyer’s “Eve’s Apology in Defense of Women” I was struck by how much it reminded me of but also contrasted with John Milton’s Paradise Lost; both works reinterpret the story of Adam and Eve, and were published in the 1600s. I remember that Milton reinterprets Adam eating the forbidden fruit as an act of love for Eve since he knows that she will die and can’t bear to live immortally without her. If this interpretation (and memory of it) are correct, it could be interesting to contrast this to what Lanyer does with Eve, interpreting her giving the fruit to Adam as a similar act of love.These are just the beginnings of an idea, though, and I would have to modify it to better fit the vision of the assignment outlined in the directions." Interstitially, as students write out their ideas I get to learn about personal details here and there and am humbled by how much so many of them have to combat to show up and keep on. Each of those circumstances is made even more heavy by the antics of the current administration. I'm so weary of all this chaos and cruelty.
Pic: These book covers are so pretty, especially dappled by sunlight like this. I know I'm making something blueberry themed for The Berry Pickers bookclub on Friday. What is the alarming 3-D seeming Pepto-pink drip on The God of the Woods supposed to be?! (OK, I googled--it's the pink coverup paint in Barbara's bedroom.)
19 comments:
I have a stack of midterms I am afraid to open-- so so so tired of AI prose
I will refrain from opining about The Berry Pickers.
Instead, I will say that I do NOT miss grading papers one iota, even when I was gratified (surprised) by someone's glints of genius. Or entertained by their malapropisms.
"John Proctor has changed dramastically in Act II of The Crucible" remains a fond memory.
Enjoy.
Oddly reading about kids missing does not seem to rattle me or impact me. Those books both ended up on my best-of list. I could do without the pepto-bismal-colored dripping paint on God of the Woods. Both books will make for excellent book club discussions. Our book club is reading "The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrow." I bet you might like it! It's a collection of words that the author makes up to describe certain emotions and he includes the origin of the words he combines. It's an interesting little book. My book club meets at restaurants so the host for March is finding an immigrant-owned restaurant for us to gather at. The ladies in my book club are all like-minded so I always walk away feeling comforted and with a sense of solidarity.
I love that you get to see these inner thoughts of bright young minds. It must give you hope for the future.
Here's a sweet little story to share with you - this morning I was talking to Paul about math and shared the I studied math in college since I loved it so much. He said, "When I got to college, I want to study reading!" My heart about burst! He's also good at math but he LOVES reading which makes me so very happy.
Beth cannot bear to watch any movies in which children are in peril, to the point that it's something we all screen for when we pick a movie to watch together. Actually, she's a little less sensitive to it now that the kids are older, but it's still a tender spot for her.
Reading Sarah's comment above, how do you deal with AI/plagiarism? I stopped teaching in 2005, which was a different world, but plagiarism from online sources was a big problem even then. What's it like for you now?
I'm with Nance. I won't say another word about The Berry Pickers on the Internetz.
Isn't it wonderful when a student produces interesting, unique thoughts in their work? It's rare in my world, but when it does happen, I get super excited!
Yes the cover of The Berry Pickers is pretty! I haven't read it, but I did read God of the Woods. For some reason the missing kid thing didn't bother me in that one- maybe because it was kind of hard to relate to those characters.
Yes, it must feel good to read interesting and original things from your students. It might even give you hope for the future?
Both of those books were just devastating to me, the aftermath of children gone missing. UGH.
I love that idea for a paper written by your student!
Sarah, ugh, I'm sorry! My bravado about AI comes from your assertion that AI prose is enabled by bad exam prompts. May need to DM you about this...
Nance--I don't want to dwell on or explore our incompatibility on The Berry Pickers either! Strictly an anomaly, in my opinion!
Poor John Proctor! My favorite is "escape goat' (scapegoat).
Thank you!
Lisa... Your Paul story made me so emotional. How wonderful that he loves reading so much! I can see him all grown up and bringing that love and energy to learning or teaching or reading to his own little ones... And how wonderful that you are happy about it too. I'm always thankful that my Indian parents let me go my own way instead of channeling me into STEM.
"The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrow" sounds fascinating, I'm off to look it up now. Book club is my favorite way of making friends in adulthood :). Friday's book club, mostly retired teachers, always makes me feel the same as you--comforted and infused with solidarity.
I really feel for Beth... having kids does feel like having your heart walking around on its own... North and Noah are so independent, I hope that makes everything feel better.
Re. AI. It's everywhere, including correcting spelling in the comments here! I don't mind that so much, but I try to AI-proof exams by making prompts very specific--like connecting something in the news to reading. I try to AI-proof papers by making them very process-based, so students come up with an idea in class 1, have a draft in class 2, peer review in class 3, and submit it in class 4. It's their work they're honing, and I think they're rightly proud of it.
I think I can tell when something is AI-generated because it is so bland and BAD, but perhaps I'm fooling myself?!
Engie--I love that we can disagree on a book now and then but absolutely agree on most other things! <3
Yes, Jenny... Young people do give me so much hope for the future. They're so much better than our generation in some ways!
J--re. paper--right? I love how thoughtfully they framed it too. My heart.
And also--The aftermath! Exactly! How the loss of the child just reverberated... While The God of the Woods was a detective story, I like to think The Berry Pickers was more of a ghost story...
Thank you for sharing your teaching successes with us. Aso, what is May-term? :)
Thank you, Daria! May-term is a month-long intensive course students take--usually only one course and frequently a travel course--it's an awesome experience for students... (Lots of planning, care-giving, and anxiety for faculty :) )
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