Actually... I like it.

I had been putting this class off for a couple of semesters because I simply did not think of it as a priority, just a class that I needed to fill my English requirements. My friends mostly had good luck with teachers that 1) would often miss class 2) had very easy and quick assignments 3) were very “lax” when it came to grades. Therefore, the recommendations I received were for teachers that would get me an easy A – something I was perfectly okay with. I decided to take summer classes on a whim and I knew Physics II was a definite choice. I just needed another class to balance out the stress so I thought 'AWD, why not?'. I started checking the teacher reviews, but I found that I focused more on how helpful, dedicated, and “cool” the teacher was rather than having to deal with an incompetent teacher. Charlie did not have a lot of reviews, but it was enough that I was okay with having him as a teacher rather than transfer to my friends' class.

I totally did not expect AWD to be so engaging. I remember disliking English except for a great senior year in high school when I took AP English Literature. Of course, we are not necessarily analyzing poems and famous works of literature, but I think it is the teaching style that I enjoy. There is a lot of freedom to explore various styles of writing. With a teacher's motivation and aid, I feel like English is not just a waste of time. I am actually learning a thing or two. The transition from English Lit. was not very smooth. I felt like whatever skills I had learned were lost or forgotten and I struggled to put in enough effort to enjoy College Writing. I think this class is more relevant to incoming college students because it analyzes the discourse used in their major. The Discourse Analysis helped me understand the scientific discourse in a way that confirmed my interests rather than simply writing lab reports without knowing the meaning behind the stylistic decisions.

Truthfully, I was somewhat intimidated by AWD within the first week. I saw Charlie as a pretty cool teacher, but his enthusiasm for the class and apparent expertise had me worrying about how he would grade because my writing skills were so rusty. I guess this would be a good example of how an initial thin-slice gave me a false impression (I'm constantly thinking about thin-slicing now...). I found the assignments to be both helpful and engaging because they allowed so much freedom. I was often confused with the prompts, but his enthusiasm also helped a lot with how much he could help me understand what he was asking for. I think the tight-nit classroom, although uncomfortable, is better for communication. The peer reviews and in-class discussions have me opening to my mind to less mainstream thoughts. I don't feel afraid speaking up and listening to what everyone else is saying. I find everyone else's majors and interests very intriguing because I have only been focusing on science. Working on the Abstract with a Criminal Justice major allowed me to collaborate with someone that had a completely different focus and writing style than my own. The challenge was making it comprehensive but also flow. The more difficult part of the class is the presentation aspect because I get really nervous in front of an audience. Overall, I'm looking forward to finishing up this short, but educationally rich experience in AWD.