But today he smiled...

As an educator, there is nothing I want more than my "Oh, Captain, my Captain!" moment. I want to be the professor who opens my students' eyes to a whole new realm of understanding and possibility. I want students on desks, chanting support.

Now, I realize that will probably never happen. Students are way too interested in being cool to stand on a desk or recite Whitman's poetry. However, my experience with one student is just as great as the ones in "Dead Poet's Society." Let's call him Joe. 

From the first paper, it was clear that Joe struggled with the mechanics of writing, as well as organizing his thoughts. It was one of those unfortunate cases that emphasizes the failings of our education system. Students slip through without proper skill acquisition. 

When the first paper was returned, Joe was devastated by the D+ tattooed on his paper. In that moment, Joe had a choice: He could get mad, or he could get to work. 

For the next paper, Joe made three appointments with the Writing Center and met with me outside of class. He took more notes during lecture and asked questions after class. He maintained a serious disposition, focused. During our meetings, Joe and I practiced outlining and then worked on creating the introductory paragraph and transitions. He came back the next session with two more pages written and a sense of urgency to capture the rest of the ideas. 

The paper wasn't perfect, but he had acquired skills for outlining, transitions, and citations. His effort earned him a C for the paper. With revision, he even amped that up to a B. 

Happy with his improvement, but leery of the argumentative essay to come, Joe began to sit in the front of the room and brought his computer everyday to take notes and do research when a thought came to him. He continued to meet with me over the course of the assignment.

During our first meeting for assignment 3, he showed up with an outline, six credible, highlighted sources (even though the assignment only required 3), and an introductory paragraph. Needless to say, he had been doing his homework. We got to work crafting a more elaborate outline and discussing his concerns for organizing his argument. He left with a tangible goal in mind and set up another meeting. The final meeting was also fruitful, and he left with enthusiasm to finish the assignment.

Here we come back to the beginning of my tale. 

Joe walked into class today with an energy in his step. He walked right up to me and said, "I got that essay to 7 pages before I was done!" (The assignment only required 4 pages.) The pride resonated from his statement. This was his "barbaric yawp." He asked when he'd get it back to work on the revision. His normally fierce disposition was exchanged for excitement. He even answered questions during class about the challenges of the argumentative essay. And I smiled to myself, thinking of his progress.

Joe even smiled and laughed. He had been intimidated and stressed by ENG 103. But today, he smiled...