Soooo Here We Go.

Meagan Monroe
Feb 4, 2009
Gabor
Eng 1B-40

"I Don't Really Want to Go into Personal Things in This Blog": Risking Connection through Blogging

I chose this blog written by Professor Carlton Clark Collin County Community College, because I admired his passion for learning, teaching and vulnerability he displayed to his students through his blog as opposed to the other blogs written by other professors. He talks about how composition teacher should be practicing writers, because in the “student’s eyes”, their composition teachers should be active teachers rather than merely passing out and correcting papers. In his eyes, his students will have more respect for a teacher when they know the teacher is capable of writing the kinds of things they assign.
Clark also writes about the significance of the 500 word per week writing assignment his students must engage in weekly, and respond to others blogs using 100words per week. I thought this was very insightful and creative, because he wanted his students to engage, and know that writing can be more than just for a grade. He wanted his students to be able to learn that writing can be fun, and an outlet for expression. He desires his students to experience the same excitement he gets when people from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds relate to what he is experiencing.


Clark also speaks about how no one can intend on NOT revealing personal feelings or emotions because somehow those pent up emotions sneak out into writing. Through his personal experiences, students realize that even Professors are humans too. They have feelings and dilemmas like the rest of us. Through the blog, students can tell Professor Clark cared about his classes and wanted his class to affect them more than just after the final. He wanted them to have a way to escape, vent, feel better about themselves, as well as learn and grow into the finest scholar they could be.