STYLETHREAD -- LET'S TALK SHOP!

cat · Marc Jacobs

Hallybird or other English teachers or majors?

turtledove · Nine West

I think that sounds way to harsh, but I think it sounds like he's trying t drill into you guys good writing habits because that is one of the main complaints employeers have: that graduates can't write a grammatically correct sentence. However, grammar is difficult, and to harshly punish you for one mistake (which, he should know, begining level writers...well, any level writer are going to make!) is extreme, in my opinion.

Shello · Kenneth Cole

I took my college writing class last semester, and our grades were completely subjective. That was fine for me, because she liked me, but other people she just gave bad grades to for no reason. In high school, I had several English teachers like yours. I think it's partly that they really want to drill grammar into your head, and also partly that they don't want to be seen as completly subjective with their grading. It's generally hard for writing teachers to convey what they want, so grading based on one thing only, like grammar, is easier for them. You can't blame them for the bad grade since it's based on something factual.

halleybird · Hermes

I think it sounds pretty harsh for a low-level class, but there's probably not much you can do about it. Like Shello said, a lot of grading is subjective.

My journalism classes had something called the "Automatic E" (E=F). If you got the tiniest fact wrong, even if it was something small, like forgetting someone's middle initial (that counted as a fact), you failed the whole thing, even if it was just a typo. IIRC, no one has yet gotten through the program without at least one Auto E, but it's a highly effective system. Once you get one of those grades, you learn to go over your stories with a fine-toothed comb. I am betting your prof has a similar philosophy.

But if your prof is just grading grammar, then you are really just in a grammar class. I bet he's trying to get this into your head early, so you can move onto other things. It does seem sort of unfair, though. Sorry!

cat · Marc Jacobs

Thanks guys.

I'm thinking I wil try the class for one more week,but if it is still horrible I will drop it.

I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds his method of grading harsh.

scarlett · Marc Jacobs

Yikes, that does sound harsh! I know it stinks now, but if you stay in this class it will definitely make you a better writer. I went through a similar experience in school. After being used to easily getting A's in all my English classes, I had a teacher who nitpicked every little mistake. It was difficult and even embarrassing to receive such bad grades, but I'm glad I stayed in and learned the skills she was trying to drill into our heads. Good luck this week!

boobaby · Kate Spade

My BA is in English. It does seem harsh, especially if he is not grading on content or style. However, I do know that many college professors are frustrated because grammar is not a priority in many high schools, so they feel like they have to focus too much time teaching the basics.

Not to sound like a total nerd, but the class might be beneficial. My high school really stressed writing style and grammar, so I had an advantage in college. In fact, I got an A+ on the first college paper I wrote analyzing a scene in a book I never bothered to read. I was really nervous because I assumed a college professor would be able to see right through my bs. He actually said it was the most well-written paper he ever received from a freshman. Grammar saved my butt from getting the grade I deserved!

blubirde · Chanel

cat wrote:

Thanks guys. I'm thinking I wil try the class for one more week,but if it is still horrible I will drop it. I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds his method of grading harsh.

Have you tried going to his office hours and talking about it with him? Perhaps you could phrase it in a way that doesn't come across like a typical whiny student. Something like "I appreciate the detail to grammar, I feel it's very important, but as the class goes on, will there be an increasing focus on content and style? I also feel those are very important subjects." Or something like that.

Good luck! I had a prof like yours once. Only she told us after our first paper she would start doing that if we did x,y, and z (her personal pet peeves). So everyone was prepared and went over their papers thoroughly.

gingembre1 · Kate Spade

I'm sorry to say, but that is standard grading for your first quarter or semester of English/writing in college. My professor deducted one grade for every mistake in MLA formatting that we made. I, normally an A student, received one or two Cs before the formatting became habit. That kind of attention to grammar is a little over the top, but subsequent classes will seem like a breeze (or at the very least, future profs and employers will be impressed with your impeccable gramma!). Good luck!

blink · Coach

it definitely sounds harsh to me and not typical, but maybe the instructor wants students to utilize the writing lab or bring rough drafts to him with questions. when I took it, my professor even required us to visit the writing lab on campus for at least two of our research papers (actually that was in Comp II, I had the same prof. for Comp I though), so we avoided grammatical mistakes that way.

Purdue's OWL (online writing lab) was really helpful for me at home, it's probably one of the best free access sites out there. Designed by those engineers who were having trouble writing, so you know it's a ery detailed site!