Re: Interesting essay - vent
[email protected]
HI all -
Thanks Pam for passing along that essay....it stirred up a long ago
hurt....In 5th grade we had to write an essay about a voyage across the
ocean....like a 13 yo boy who signed on to work on a ship for his passage to
the new country or something....I started the essay like this: (can you
believe I can still remember it!!)
" I don' t know why I did it, but I did. I signed up to work on the xxxx
ship so that I can get to America." (something in there about being afraid
too)
I felt very creative starting it out like a journal entry.....I was pretty
thrilled with my idea.....
My favorite teacher of all time SQUASHED it! Told me that it was not
appropriate.....totally shocked me with her red pen editing and criticizing
my creativity!
Later that year, she used one of my writing samples on an overhead to point
out errors.....she didn't show my name but I was horrified.....here I was
walking around thinking I knew something about writing! I read A LOT and I
remember specifically that I was playing with a style that I had noticed in a
book....ugh!
Into college, I felt unsure of my writing ability.....taking risks with my
writing became very difficult and I mostly stayed on the safe side in high
school.....my parents use a different language so I felt that I was
rightfully unsure since I was using a 'second language' so if others thought
my writing wasn't good, it probably isn't....
even now, I feel that I should edit what I post.....
ugh.....
and then there are all those formulas for poetry, too....
okay, nuff venting! thanks for listening!
Jane
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Thanks Pam for passing along that essay....it stirred up a long ago
hurt....In 5th grade we had to write an essay about a voyage across the
ocean....like a 13 yo boy who signed on to work on a ship for his passage to
the new country or something....I started the essay like this: (can you
believe I can still remember it!!)
" I don' t know why I did it, but I did. I signed up to work on the xxxx
ship so that I can get to America." (something in there about being afraid
too)
I felt very creative starting it out like a journal entry.....I was pretty
thrilled with my idea.....
My favorite teacher of all time SQUASHED it! Told me that it was not
appropriate.....totally shocked me with her red pen editing and criticizing
my creativity!
Later that year, she used one of my writing samples on an overhead to point
out errors.....she didn't show my name but I was horrified.....here I was
walking around thinking I knew something about writing! I read A LOT and I
remember specifically that I was playing with a style that I had noticed in a
book....ugh!
Into college, I felt unsure of my writing ability.....taking risks with my
writing became very difficult and I mostly stayed on the safe side in high
school.....my parents use a different language so I felt that I was
rightfully unsure since I was using a 'second language' so if others thought
my writing wasn't good, it probably isn't....
even now, I feel that I should edit what I post.....
ugh.....
and then there are all those formulas for poetry, too....
okay, nuff venting! thanks for listening!
Jane
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Pam Hartley
I can believe it easily. :/ I had a similar experience in the English course
I signed up for in junior college. I wrote something fairly clever (if I do
say so myself <g>) and it got red marked everywhere for mistakes in grammar.
Since I have a really big (gigantic, can't-get-through-the-door big <g>)
ego, I realized that the instructor lacked the wit to appreciate me, and
didn't go back. ;)
Pam
P.S. You write quite well, IMHO. You are clear and it's easy to follow what
you're trying to say. But hey, just ask that English instructor what *I*
know. <eg>
----------
From: jsutfran@...
To: [email protected]
Subject: [AlwaysLearning] Re: Interesting essay - vent
Date: Sat, Jul 13, 2002, 6:49 PM
Thanks Pam for passing along that essay....it stirred up a long ago
hurt....In 5th grade we had to write an essay about a voyage across the
ocean....like a 13 yo boy who signed on to work on a ship for his passage to
the new country or something....I started the essay like this: (can you
believe I can still remember it!!)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
I signed up for in junior college. I wrote something fairly clever (if I do
say so myself <g>) and it got red marked everywhere for mistakes in grammar.
Since I have a really big (gigantic, can't-get-through-the-door big <g>)
ego, I realized that the instructor lacked the wit to appreciate me, and
didn't go back. ;)
Pam
P.S. You write quite well, IMHO. You are clear and it's easy to follow what
you're trying to say. But hey, just ask that English instructor what *I*
know. <eg>
----------
From: jsutfran@...
To: [email protected]
Subject: [AlwaysLearning] Re: Interesting essay - vent
Date: Sat, Jul 13, 2002, 6:49 PM
Thanks Pam for passing along that essay....it stirred up a long ago
hurt....In 5th grade we had to write an essay about a voyage across the
ocean....like a 13 yo boy who signed on to work on a ship for his passage to
the new country or something....I started the essay like this: (can you
believe I can still remember it!!)
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
[email protected]
In a message dated 7/13/02 9:14:04 PM, pamhartley@... writes:
<< I can believe it easily. :/ I had a similar experience in the English
course
I signed up for in junior college. I wrote something fairly clever (if I do
say so myself <g>) and it got red marked everywhere for mistakes in grammar.
shampoo advertisement, I think. The teacher couldn't find much to mark in
red, so on the cover wrote "A- Funny, but good."
I've always just loved that memory. "Funny, [yet still mysteriously
how-can-that-be GOOD!?]"
I was seventeen and writing for someone who thought good and funny should not
occur in the same space. I was writing for an idiot.
I still have that paper.
<< I can believe it easily. :/ I had a similar experience in the English
course
I signed up for in junior college. I wrote something fairly clever (if I do
say so myself <g>) and it got red marked everywhere for mistakes in grammar.
>>I wrote something for a freshman course in rhetoric, some analysis of a
shampoo advertisement, I think. The teacher couldn't find much to mark in
red, so on the cover wrote "A- Funny, but good."
I've always just loved that memory. "Funny, [yet still mysteriously
how-can-that-be GOOD!?]"
I was seventeen and writing for someone who thought good and funny should not
occur in the same space. I was writing for an idiot.
I still have that paper.
Betsy
**
I wrote something for a freshman course in rhetoric, some analysis of a
shampoo advertisement, I think. The teacher couldn't find much to mark
in
red, so on the cover wrote "A- Funny, but good."
I've always just loved that memory. "Funny, [yet still mysteriously
how-can-that-be GOOD!?]"**
Humor often contains irreverence. Dangerous stuff. Authorities need to
keep a watchful eye out for it.
Betsy
I wrote something for a freshman course in rhetoric, some analysis of a
shampoo advertisement, I think. The teacher couldn't find much to mark
in
red, so on the cover wrote "A- Funny, but good."
I've always just loved that memory. "Funny, [yet still mysteriously
how-can-that-be GOOD!?]"**
Humor often contains irreverence. Dangerous stuff. Authorities need to
keep a watchful eye out for it.
Betsy