Educators
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The Art of Running Away
It’s been a tough semester. I’ve described some of the trials already: a new course that didn’t work very well, an unsuccessful experiment with blogs, a number of unpleasant end-of-semester exchanges. More than a month after the end of classes, I’m still dealing with a challenge to one of my plagiarism rulings, and still awaiting Continue reading
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Top 10 Posts of 2012
It’s time again for Classroom as Microcosm’s yearly top 10 roundup! These are the posts that got the most hits this year. It’s not always clear WHY a given post on this list got so much traffic, but the fact that a lot of people looked at and/or read these posts suggests maybe they have Continue reading
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How I Saved My Teaching Career: Introduction
A few years ago, I was ready to quit my teaching job. But I didn’t. I’ve been a teacher in some capacity for twenty-three years. I fell in love with the profession when I was a college student and landed a part-time job as an assistant language teacher in an elementary school. I was sure Continue reading
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Bloggers Anonymous
As is usual this time of year, I’m dealing with a trying student. Yesterday, as a cathartic measure, I prepared a post in which I collated our email exchange since the beginning of the semester. If you are not me, this exchange is no doubt extremely entertaining. (If you are me, you spent most of Continue reading
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Five Purposes of Higher Education
What do you think higher education is for? Back in September, Richard Kahlenberg gave a convocation speech in which he outlined five “Purposes of Higher Education.” I don’t entirely buy them. Kahlenberg, in his speech, is critical of the extent to which higher education has accomplished these things; I wonder whether they should be our Continue reading
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What is the Deal With Class Size?
Does class size really make a difference? Frequent commenters Gen X and Army Amy have asked me to give you my thoughts on class size and its effect on learning. Early in this blog’s life, I wrote a post on class size, in which I assert that I believe that if every class in the Continue reading
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Pearls of Wisdom to Offer Students About Writing
There are five things that Rob Jenkins tells his composition students every semester. “If you think you won’t have to write anymore once you’re done with your English classes, you need to think again.” “If you think you’re going to be done with writing when you get out of college, you need to think again.” Continue reading
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The Incomparable Mr. G: Part 2
Before I began teaching CEGEP, I taught intensive summer English Immersion programs at a university in small-town Quebec. I’d already been teaching in various capacities for a while at that point, but one experience with these five-week programs made me think suddenly of Mr. G. My class that summer was a joy, and I established Continue reading
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The Incomparable Mr. G: Part 1
Mr. G. taught me literature and creative writing when I was in high school. He was in his late 50s at that time. During the two years I knew him, I never saw a discipline issue arise in his classroom. He encouraged students to bring snacks and lunches to class with them, and often said Continue reading
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Class Size: The Root of All Evil
My main beef with the educational system as it stands, from kindergarten up through university, is with class size. I believe that if every class in the country were reduced to a maximum of fifteen students, many, if not most, of our educational and social ills would be resolved. Children, young adults and adults would Continue reading
About Me
My job is to teach people to read and write; aside from that, I like to learn things.
Classroom as Microcosm 