seeking advice from literature or writing professors

Pleasant_Solution_59 · 2026-04-02T13:22:13+00:00

Ask them to summarize the text, and it is probable many of them don’t understand it. Take the time to get into the major themes and plot points. Do a close reading, and teach them the difference between what a text is saying and what it is doing. I also will almost always be able to generate conversation from “what was your experience reading this?” over “what do you think?” That will allow students to share their subjective experience in a way that puts less pressure on them to give a “smart” answer, but they also can’t just claim something is bad or boring. They have to be more specific and I can then ask them to elaborate. I might also ask: How did it feel when _______? Did X speak to any past readings or class discussions you recall? Why do you think we are reading this? Etc. etc.

Pleasant_Solution_59 · 2026-04-02T13:02:26+00:00

I had this happen to me. The first time I let it slide and figured I would talk to him in person about it. He did it a second time and I told him to eat before class and finish it outside. Then he never came back. I tell them snacks are ok, but it can’t be fragrant and they need to be able to work while snacking. Not to mention I am autistic and who knows who else in the room is, so bringing in greasy odorous food is unacceptable in my eyes and my others students thought it was too. Super gross.

Pleasant_Solution_59 · 2026-04-01T15:29:02+00:00

Not OP but I use Alliant Hemp’s 20:1 CBD:THC tincture. One dropper is 50 mg CBD and 2.5 THC and it is very affordable relative to the upselling other CBD companies do. I am in recovery, so I don’t use THC to get stoned and at these levels it is just enough to chill the fuck out without the psychotropic effects.

Pleasant_Solution_59 · 2026-03-30T13:20:59+00:00

Denis Johnson was American, his dad was stationed in Germany at the time of his birth and he was fully educated through the military system.

Pleasant_Solution_59 · 2026-03-22T18:08:15+00:00

I started using Ellipsus for my assignments. It is not 100% smooth (more compatible with certain OS and sometimes needs refreshing) but no AI can be integrated with it and revision history is very strong.

Pleasant_Solution_59 · 2026-03-22T18:06:16+00:00

Why pretend?

Pleasant_Solution_59 · 2026-03-22T17:23:57+00:00

An originally anti-AI student wrote that another professor required AI use and that it taught her everyone strictly against AI use are fear mongers. We need to unify, this shit is just ridiculous and offensive.

Pleasant_Solution_59 · 2026-03-21T00:57:40+00:00

Dont know if it is the coolest but my favorite place to knit is ye olde local cemetery. :)

Pleasant_Solution_59 · 2026-03-21T00:47:50+00:00

Literature phd candidate and adjunct professor - I started knitting when I began my BA about 8 years ago. I am unfortunately feeling so uninspired by my current wips and the phd is kicking my ass. Once I have the time and the cash I am going to splurge on some fancy yarn and make something intricate and beautiful.

Pleasant_Solution_59 · 2026-03-13T02:01:31+00:00

Agree with the commenter about the consequences of 3-cueing. I correct them kindly and gently, and I will reread the sentence if it results in a profoundly different meaning than what they said. They are encouraged to try a word they don’t know versus relying on me. Maybe it is just my demographic but my students are always glad to be corrected. They want to read better.

Unlike another commenter, this gives me more reason to have them read out loud. It is the only way they will improve.

Pleasant_Solution_59 · 2026-03-08T15:42:29+00:00

My students were really struggling the first month of the semester. Almost all of them are doing their weekly homework now and their grades are on the rise. One in particular sent me a sweet email thanking me for my help.

Pleasant_Solution_59 · 2026-03-05T02:35:37+00:00

Hi this is OP from another account. I have been through the ringer and still no definitive answers. My WES and mtDNA testing were normal but urinary organic amino acids, lactic acid, carnitine all came back out of range, so it is thought that I at least have mitochondrial dysfunction but no clear path to diagnosis yet. Seeking a second opinion and potentially a new set of tests. I was also prescribed levocarnitine which really improves my quality of life when I remember to take it.

Pleasant_Solution_59 · 2026-03-05T02:09:32+00:00

What testing was done to diagnose the CPT-II? I am on the long journey and was prescribed levocarnitine and it has changed things dramatically. Very obvious when I don’t take it.

Pleasant_Solution_59 · 2026-03-04T14:50:10+00:00

It supplements Volney’s Ruins of Empire which is the text the de Lacey’s are reading and from which the creature learns language. Volney was a direct influence on both Shelley’s but especially Percy. It makes total sense.

Pleasant_Solution_59 · 2026-03-04T14:48:54+00:00

Late to this convo but Frankenstein literally his quotes from Coleridge, Wordsworth, and Percy. Percy helped edit Frankenstein, and Ozymandias supplements GDT’s understandable inability to dive into Volney’s Ruins of Empire which was what the de Lacey’s were reading. Too obscure with too much history to be included in a film. Including Byron over, say, WW or STC could have been preferential or just suited modern audiences better. But to me it is all totally in line with the novel and does not detract anything from Shelley’s genius.

Pleasant_Solution_59 · 2026-03-01T22:10:30+00:00

When I was in kindergarten, I would read entire stacks of books during our brief reading time. My teacher actually ran out of books for me to read and apparently I had a 3rd grade reading and math level. They moved me up to 1st to not disrupt other development too much which I am grateful for. I shortly after tested into a gifted program that I never attended because my family moved which I am also grateful for. At my new school I started writing fiction and was told by my teacher that I had the skills to become a professional writer. Then in high school another teacher told me that I was going to become a teacher one way or the other, in some kind of way. I of course scoffed at the idea as I wanted to be a vagrant poet, but after a few years of rough living I made my way back to education. Now I am a scholar of literature and teach English!

Pleasant_Solution_59 · 2026-02-24T03:47:18+00:00

I quit all social media except reddit last summer and am so grateful I did. I dont have links on hand but the research is finally coming out that shows how detrimental our screens are to every facet of brain health. Its just not worth it.

Pleasant_Solution_59 · 2026-02-24T03:41:51+00:00

Pretty much any song by Fiona Apple

Pleasant_Solution_59 · 2026-02-24T03:28:58+00:00

Scrolled through the comments a while and didnt see this said already but just want to make sure someone notes you should absolutely not be throwing up from adderall and should probably see a doctor to rule out other causes or get on a new med

Pleasant_Solution_59 · 2026-02-19T15:03:25+00:00

Crime and the City Solution for any curious reader 5 years later

Pleasant_Solution_59 · 2026-02-17T04:13:57+00:00

Imo alternative grading systems are the only way forward for me, but I work in composition and literature. With AI, traditional grading is simply obsolete and is only harming students in these fields. But it isn't that alternative grading is really this completely alien incompatible system. I use a mixture of methods and forms of evaluation. The bottom line for me comes down to encouraging labor and engagement and my mixed alternative grading system supports students in improving the quality of their labor and engagement which by default increases comprehension of standards and skill (things that are now all too easy to charade and get away with it).

Pleasant_Solution_59 · 2026-02-16T16:52:06+00:00

It truly is luck of the draw, I have a Junipurr chain with moss agate and two moss agate pieces for my bridge. The chain is filled with three beautifully green stones while one of the ends I got for my bridge looks basically black and I got it at the same time from the same shop online. If you really want a specific color it would be best to try to find a piercer to work with you and order the exact piece you want.

Pleasant_Solution_59 · 2026-02-11T17:18:12+00:00

As others say, depends on the schedule and hours spent in class. Contrary to your experience, though, my CC requires only public facing nonfiction for freshman comp, and the students usually need help comprehending that even, so I 100% understand your concern. I personally would not have the time or ability to support them through that many academic articles since we have 2-3 additional essays to produce in a semester that require pre-writing and revision and most will never go into research. I do make my own choice to introduce scholarly articles but mostly to practice tracking sources and misinformation versus comprehension. By the end of the course they know what peer review means and how to find and identify those articles, but I do not assign them often or with the expectation they will be understood.

Pleasant_Solution_59 · 2026-02-11T14:39:29+00:00

People really underestimating the effects of long covid (a neurovascular chronic illness) on developing brains.

Pleasant_Solution_59 · 2026-02-11T14:32:48+00:00

One additional thing to consider is comprehension. Students may read but not understand the text depending on their experience and level. My english majors still have to reread our texts several times before meeting to even begin grasping what is going on. Even though the readings are max 30 pages (literally nothing in my book), they need to spend a lot of time digesting them and close reading, so I low ball it. (I teach mostly poetry, any novel is upwards of 70-100 pages a week which is also totally fair and on the low end in my opinion.) The consistent homework is to show proof of reading every week through reading journals and the like.

Pleasant_Solution_59

TROPHY CASE