Both classes are small -- 4 students in one, 6 in the other, but in both classes I only reliably have 3 students a week. Both classes are a mix of students I've had before who know my teaching style, and students who are new to me this term. Despite the fact the Comp I is a prerequisite for Comp II, students in both classes have similar writing abilities -- one or two write quite well, a few have a lot of grammatical errors but their organization is good, and one or two struggle with their writing at all levels.
The lesson plans vary in only one really obvious way: I start the Comp I classes with a punctuation quiz each day, but I don't do that for the Comp II students. But the rest of the lesson consists of covering PowerPoints on writing, having a class discussion and then having the students write a summary of the discussion, and then, if there is time, letting students work in the library on the writing assignment that is due the following week.
The last 2 weeks, my Comp I class has been so busy talking with me, they haven't even made it to the class discussion and summary, much less had time at the end of class to work on their assignments. My Comp II class, on the other hand, usually has at least 2 hours to work independently.
My Comp I class is engaged. We discuss each line of the PowerPoints, they ask questions, and they are able to provide examples for the concepts I am presenting. They share their ideas, and often interrupt me to ask questions about the topics I am using simply for illustrative purposes. During our 10-minute breaks, they often stay in the room with me and chat about their writing, musical tastes, personal lives, etc. When I ask them to work in groups, they have easy discussions and help one another out. One student in partcular tries to answer every question, and willingly shares his ideas, experiences, and writing with the rest of the class.
My Comp II class is disengaged. They look blankly at me as I go through the PowerPoints, or put their heads down on their desks. They don't volunteer information, and getting an answer if I ask a question is challenging. I sit in the room alone during our 10-minute breaks. When I ask them to work together as a group, they have nothing to say to one another, and usually revert to writing individually and in silence while sitting at the same table. One student in particular gives me extremely terse and guarded responses, even when I try to draw her out with direct questions.
And I find myself responding to the difference in emotional tone in the two classes. In Comp I, I am joking around, getting input on each point I make, drawing out the lecture into a more general discussion of writing. No idea is too minor to explore in detail. In Comp II, I feel as though I need to rush through the PowerPoint to make it less painful. Every slide feels trite and obvious, as though there is nothing interesting I could add.
The only thing I can chalk the difference in classes up to is those two stand-out personalities among my students: the sharer, and the clam. Right now, they are setting the tone for each class, and setting the tone for my teaching as well. The differences, and my different teaching styles, finally came to a head last week, and I realized I need to do something about the situation. I need to take control of my classes again.
So this week, in Comp I, I'll move through the lecture more quickly, do a few exercises, and then give them time to work on their papers. And in Comp II, I'll ask more questions during the PowerPoints, do more hands-on exercises in class, and only then will we head to the library so that they can work on their papers.
This is my class, damnit. I don't have to be the bad teacher if I don't want to.
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