The end of a semester is always a time of being racked by bouts of self-doubt, though it usually turns out that I've done a bit better with my students than my self-criticism initially allows. This past semester, however, I will admit that I seemed to have some trouble getting students to understand my writing assignments. I work hard on them to make sure that they don't give too much of a point by point road map but still allow the students enough direction to feel like they can be successful. It is a delicate balance, and I know I'm not perfect at it.
One of the recent trends in comments from students (and all of them have come from young women--not sure why that is) that they are usually good writers but they don't know what I want in an essay. A couple of students this past term really let me have it in the course evaluation, claiming that I was "mean, intolerant and testy" when meeting about papers in my office, and that I was impossible to please because I didn't want them to summarize plot yet I also wanted them to include details. Needless to say, they did not get the A's they were expecting. Sigh.
The "mean" and "intolerant" comments don't bother me, but they are surprising. I've never been called either of those things before. Enthusiastic and unfocused, yes. All the time. Can't please everyone, I guess.
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