a new genre for me (2-23)

Well, I’ve been sitting here on and off during the past several days alternately reading the readings for this week and attempting my first draft of my syllabus. Although I always expected that designing a course would be one of the most difficult things I would ever have to do, the worst part is having those fears confirmed. Usually, when I write, I am able to generate broad ideas as well as specific points in my head. Later, I can sit down and write them, and though the first draft is far from finished / polished, I would hardly describe the writing process as painful. The syllabus, however, is another matter. I find myself staring at the computer screen wondering how I can make some words appear that will contain meaning. But, in thinking about the readings for this week, especially the statement of “outcomes,” I realized once again that where I am is a perfect example of the writing process. For me, writing a syllabus is a completely foreign genre. Although I’ve read many of them during my past 5 years in college, I’ve never had to write one. Thus, I have a vague general idea of what a syllabus should look like and what it should do, but because I’ve never had to practice the conventions of syllabus writing, I’m not able to apply the rules when I need them. I guess this is my attempt to console myself at what I consider to be a rather failed, frustrated attempt at writing. I am trying to both develop new content while learn a new writing style at the same time. On a tangential note, I found the Hess article to be interesting, but not because I could ever imagine teaching a course with Surrealism as a theme. (I simply don’t feel comfortable enough with Surrealism. However, I found his use of student-generated primary and secondary sources to be brilliant, although I would be hesitant about trying it because of the problems he had with those who didn’t complete the work.) I guess what I appreciated about his article is the fact that he used it to admit what didn’t work about his class plan. Perhaps one of my biggest fears is that if my class is not absolutely perfect, I will somehow fail my students and jeopardize the potential success of the rest of their education. The truth is, I’m really not that important. I want students to learn, and will try to ensure that they do, but the fate of the universe hardly depends on this class. My first year may not be a success, but like writing, I’m sure teaching is a process, so I will revise my syllabus and try again.