Memo to English 1301 Students re Changes

To: English 1301 students

From: M. Hall
Subject: Class changes
Date: 28 August 2012

Until further notice I will be teaching Dr. Edwards’ students.  If you find this awkward and wish to transfer another English 1301 class, work on this immediately because an instructor is not required to accept a transfer after the first few days of term.  Try not to miss instruction for this, and be patient with any delays; other students in other classes will be trying to sort out changes too.

Today I killed another tree and on its remains printed more syllabi and other materials for everyone, and will have them available Thursday morning.  They are also posted on Blackboard and on angryverbs.blogspot.com. 

 I have always worked with students one-on-one in class, and with large classes this is now not possible.  Please know that I am on campus an hour – and often more – before class and will stay after class to do as much as I can for you as an individual; however, if you need a great deal of feedback on a daily basis the situation as it is might not be the best fit for you.  Given the economy, larger classes, and distance classes, my archaic methods of individualizing learning may be going the way of the Underwood typewriter.  We must all adapt.

Further, the morning class is a bit noisy, and I’m not going to change that; you are a happy group of folks and that merry buzz makes for a good learning situation.  There are some forty young folks in this class, and the silence of the tomb will never apply to you!  If you find the noise level – which, really, is no louder than an ordinary office milieu – unworkable for you, please do what is best for your learning style.

However, there is also a benefit in a large class in that you will enjoy the mutual aid and comfort of some really sharp young people.  You will work on papers together with mutual assistance and critiques, and that will help your learning – and your grade – immensely. 

We are not going to rush to or through anything; the syllabus is a sequence and exists to serve you.

Don’t panic.  We’ll talk.