It’s been a steep learning curve for me this past quarter. I initially came into the class determined to be a role model for my students, as someone they can look up to, or at the very least, a positive influence. Instead, I was greeted with a class of reluctant (and often rude) students, so I’ve had to adjust my teaching styles and expectations considerably. And that’s not to say the experience has been overwhelmingly negative— quite the opposite in fact. Although the students can be reluctant to do the work, it’s because none of them are interested in pursuing a degree in the humanities, and many of them lack confidence in their own writing skills. So, I’ve done a little re-organizing for the class and have started catering to them more on an individual level, rather than always addressing the class as a collective unit.

My new expectations look like this: I want my students to come into class feeling secure in their own writing skills and hopeful for the future, for whatever degree they decide to pursue. I want them to feel comfortable talking to me, and confident when speaking up in front of the class, even if their opinions differ from others. But above all, I want them to treat their writing on an individual basis and not compare their work to other people in the class. All of my students came into English 101 with varying skill levels— some wonderful, others average, and a few who struggle with sentence structures. Regardless of their skill level, I always emphasize that the skill levels of their writing doesn’t necessarily matter as much as the time and energy they put into it.

I’ve had to reconstruct my expectations for my English 101 class. The reality is I’m not going to walk into the class with 24 freshmen eager to participate and excited for the hour and 20 minutes of class. And that’s okay. I started focus on learning my student’s names, major interests, fun facts about them, etc. rather than their skill levels of writing, or what books they find the most interesting. I talk to them on an individual level and do everything I can for them to make meaning of the class in their own terms, rather than view the class as a horrendous requirement of the university.

As one person, I can only do so much for them. However, by transforming my vision for the class and adapting to a new structure, I’ve noticed significant improvement within the class. My students joke around in class, participate more, draft ideas for their own extension projects, and even find the time to come chat with me about their ideas for the future. Although there will always be some outliers, I’m very excited to see the dynamics changing each week in the classroom.