First Year as an Academic Writing Professor DONE!

Teaching academic writing to freshman ESL students confirmed the attitude I developed for grammar in my high school freshman English class - it is out to get me. The only way I survive is by taking a pragmatic approach focusing on readability rather than stiff rules. Luckily there are a number of great English teachers out there who are breaking out of the grammar police mold and so I can say I am in good company. It still takes me a long time to grade essays to confirm why something doesn't sound right and what the correct choice should be. 

My grading paradigm can be summed up in three phrases: Scooby Doo, pet peeves, and bad habits. The Scooby Doo approach to grading writing is when something I read makes me go "rut ro" in the classic Scooby Doo voice. When this occurs I circle or underline the problem and then check the rule books for the explanation why. Having taught senior and graduate courses that are writing intensive, I have developed a series of pet peeves about student writing. Teaching freshman has become my way of attacking the problems at the root. Finally, I notice all of my own bad writing habits and hear the voices of my teachers as I grade. I love commas and use them like Bulgarian's use parsley - all over the place whether they are needed or not. I know this about myself and try to practice restraint. Therefore, I am sensitive to students with the same problem. And by sensitive I mean brutal with the marking pen (have to break them of the habit early so they don't become me). That/Which is another problem of mine. There are some great blog posts out there about That/Which, but I still have to check every time I grade.

I am not sure if I am becoming a better writer in the process, but teaching freshman to write in an academic style does not feel like torture. There are some great changes I want to make for next year and I am anxious to try them out. It takes teaching something twice for me to get a feel for my attitude toward it, so look forward to my post a year from now.  I might just be a grammar convert!