I have been struggling along this summer, planning for “Introduction to College Writing.” It isn’t the syllabus or grading that has me stumped — it is the calendar of readings and lectures.
Why? Because I haven’t received copies of the texts.
Without desk copies of the various texts, I am stuck outlining a semester in only the vaguest of ways. Supplemental readings and the novel I have assigned are easy enough to insert at the last moment, but what can I do when the primary texts are missing? My goal at the moment is to have everything in place, so the last weekend before class can be spent composing a somewhat accurate calendar.
This experience is nothing new for educators. It simply marks the normal panic students never witness. When the first day of class arrives, the students should assume the instructor is the model of preparedness. Ideally, I will be that model.