WA3 Response

Perhaps the strangest thing about this assignment was realizing and coming to terms with my current position as a student and a teacher all at once. Not only did I have to think back and draw upon my experiences as a student, even in high school, but I also had to think of what I've observed thus far as a brand-spanking new teacher. I wasn't aware that I'd developed these notions about how students function in class or this philosophy of teaching until I actually had to write them down.

I'm slightly afraid that I did a bit too much emotional burping about my rather intense hatred of standardized testing, but I hope that at least my students' reactions will help to bring the point across. Also, I had to really think, as usual, about the context in which I'm using the word "literacy." It was difficult to try and reconcile traditional ways of thinking of literacy (which I mentioned in terms of a student's ability to read and write) with a much broader definition (which I used to describe my own separate knowledge about test-taking). This could potentially confuse a reader.

And though I'm still, to this day, struggling with the most appropriate voice to use in an academic paper, I'm more and more tempted these days to throw a bit of humor into a paper. I'm becoming less convinced that it is somehow inappropriate, provided that it serves to emphasize a point and to educate a reader. I strongly believe that most of what a person will remember will be that which makes them laugh; it certainly makes a strong impression on them. Nonetheless, I still felt obligated to tone it down and to adopt a more serious tone, if nothing else, from force of habit. And I find this sense of obligation interesting, since it somewhat echoes the concerns that many first year comp students have expressed: that an academic paper is meant to be dull, uninteresting, and serious. I found the assignment to be very enlightening, both as a student, and as a teacher.