" There comes that mysterious meeting in life when someone acknowledges who we are and what we can be, igniting the circuits of our highest potential."
     -- Rusty Berkus

Whenever you begin a discussion of any topic, it is helpful to think back on your own experience with the subject.  What have you read previously about the subject?

As we begin our semester long discussion of the politics of education, we will begin by taking a look at your own educational experience. Whether school has been a good experience for us or a bad experience for us, it has been an experience of some kind, and this means there is a story in there to tell.

For this essay, you will choose one experience from your educational career, and you will tell the story of that experience and how it influenced your life or your thinking about a certain topic. For example, when I was attending Santa Ana college, I had a math teacher who was a marvel. I have always been terrified of math, but this teacher somehow made it accessible. Even when she called on me in class to solve a problem, I felt like with her help I could get through it without humiliation. I was also impressed that she knew everyone's name--even several semesters later. Now that I am a teacher, I have tried to model my teaching style after what I learned from her. She was influential in many ways. When I started teaching at Santa Ana College, I went to look up my old instructor. I wanted to tell her how much her faith in me had mattered. I was shocked when I found out that she had committed suicide in the intervening years. Now I feel that the best tribute I can give her is to try and be the kind of teacher that she was, to work hard to make my subject matter accessible to other students who might feel nervous. 

Obviously if I was writing this up into a narrative essay, I would put in more details, but that is the gist of the story. I have many others, and I am sure that you too have many to tell. Whatever story you choose, be sure that it has a point. I don’t just want to hear you whining about school. I want to know how your life experiences have formed you into the person you are today with the opinions you hold.

Your essay will need to be a MINIMUM of THREE PAGES in length. I will be looking for a strong introduction that grabs the reader’s interest and introduces the topic. I will be looking for good details that help paint the picture of the story. I will be looking for a strong conclusion that leaves the reader thinking about what you have just said.

Essays will be returned unread and ungraded if they:

• do not meet the minimum page requirement
• do not meet the minimum requirement for secondary sources
• are not typed in MLA format (the format discussed in class)
• are not accompanied by strong evidence of the writing process: prewriting, drafting, revision, editing, proofreading.

Late papers (including those that are returned with any of the above listed problems) will lose one full letter grade (10 points). Papers that are submitted more than 15 minutes late on the day they are due will be considered late. Late papers will not be eligible for any revision opportunities that might be offered.

If you run into problems, remember there are many places you can go for help. You can go to the ASC or the Writing Center and ask the tutors or instructors for assistance. You can come and talk to me during my office hours. Remember that it’s okay to get stuck, but it’s not okay to stay stuck.

Also remember that you must submit your essay to Turnitin.com prior to submitting it in class.