To My Students:
We have a professional relationship. Our communication gives you practice in the
etiquette you will (and perhaps already do) follow in the workplace. Earlier in
your education, your teachers may have seemed to you like parents or camp
counselors. Thinking of your college professors this way will lead to
frustration and disappointment. Think of me as a boss; and when it comes to your
grades, think of me as a banker who keeps track of your earnings. I think of you
as competent adults who accept my authority and have chosen to take on the
challenges of my course. I hope that many of you share my interest in language
and literature, but your effort and attention matter more to me than your
natural talent.
Like most professors at Santa Monica College, I teach more than 300 students per
academic year, which means that you must take the initiative if you would like
to have more individualized attention from me. The best way to make this happen
is to come see me during my office hours or by appointment. During those
meetings, I am happy to help you work on drafts of essays or clarify concepts
from class lectures. I thoroughly enjoy working with students who are motivated,
responsible, and curious.
Unless you are a student in one of my online classes, I ask you to limit your
emails to me to brief business matters, such as informing me that you are sick
and will be missing class. Please do not email me complaints about your grade
unless you see an error in the online gradebook. In grading formal essays, I use
the
SMC English Department Grading Rubric, so you can appeal to the chair of the
English Department if you doubt that I have properly judged your work by these
standards. If you have any doubts about my professionalism or the accuracy
of my grade calculations, you may contact the campus
Ombudsperson if our
discussion about the matter does not satisfy you.
I know there are tremendous performance pressures on students these days. The
recent documentary "Race to Nowhere"
explores this problem. But if you want me to like and respect you, act as if
learning is more important to you than your grades. If it scares you to think of
your future career not going as you (or those supporting you) have planned, I
recommend that you read William Zinsser's classic essay "The Right to Fail." I
see you as a person, not a GPA. Even if you don't pass my course because you
came in with weak English skills or because you are distracted by problems at
work or in your family, I believe you will receive lasting value from any honest
effort you make to learn.
If you are struggling in my course and become tempted to hire a private tutor or
to buy online tutoring services: Beware! Make sure you understand the dangers of
plagiarism, which can cause you great harm even if you plagiarize
unintentionally. Good tutors will help you build your skills for the long term,
not just improve your grades in the short term.
My purpose is to offer you knowledge and skills that will serve you later in
life. Knowing how to read, write, argue a point, and savor a story will do much
more for you than just advance your career; these will enrich the quality of
your whole life. In the short term, you will earn a grade in my course, and you
might come back later and ask me for a letter of recommendation, which I will
gladly write for students who applied themselves in my course--regardless of
their final course grade. In the long term, your learning will be manifest in a
multitude of ways in both your professional and your personal lives. Having
completed a general education at the college level, you will have sophistication
and confidence that will reward you in expected and unexpected ways.
I share my philosophy with you so that you can make an informed decision about
whether or not to take my course. The beauty of college is that you are here by
choice, and the choices are all up to you. If you choose to learn from me and
then express something that makes me doubt that you understood this letter, I
will reply by asking you to read it again.
Sincerely,