Not Just Another Assignment

As a student in Teaching Basic Writing over a decade ago, I wrote a personal experience essay about high-school high-jinks the night of my graduation. It was the usual "us-boys-could-really-party" cliche, done up in five pages; and the nicest thing one could say is that it was stylish but silly.

Naturally, the story had to have a "point." That was a stated requirement. I interpreted this as stuffing my essay with something of deep import to complement what was merely a superficial remembrance full of aimless, sophomoric humor. So I reached into my memory banks and came up with the Kent State University shootings. I guess it worked because I got an 'A' on the paper.

Now I am required to write a personal academic narrative, and I have a day in which to e-mail an idea or two to my professor. This is going to be tough! Looks like it's time for an attitude adjustment.

The Name's Bloom

First reactions to Bloom's hardships as she traversed the spiral stairway to Tier A:

**Clever use of the "name" motif: "Call me Lynn," echoing the "Ishmael" reference from an earlier chapter -- and the idea of writers as survivors who have lived to "tell the tale."

**The professional allusions seem designed to appeal to anyone in academia. Namely,

*those who enjoy tenure...
*those who had tenure, but resigned for family reasons...
*those who teach half-time with half benefits and responsibilities...
*those who dream of tenure and their own office, while sharing space beneath the stairs with the kitty litter...

And there's more. On this last note, let me report that having your own office is not all it's cracked up to be. NOT having an office has its advantages. It's not as if you're a professional nomad, and Bloom is dramatizing when she recalls her own part-time experiences as some weird sort of night creature, haunting the campus at all hours, morning, noon, or evening.

Virtual space has replaced physical space for many instructors. My office is in a computer. I have found it convenient. So have the students. Certainly, office space has its advantages too. A comfortable, familiar place to prepare before class, unwind after class, and to meet with students. But technology is in the process of altering all of that.

And let me add this -- Ten years ago, I would never believe that I would ever express the feelings above.