Letter Assignment Tips

After yesterday's class, a student requested a critique of the letter she had begun writing for the assignment due Monday at 11:59 pm. I do not critique assignments before a student submits them.  I want the student to discover his/her own thoughts and how to express them without my influence. However, I will respond to specific questions about an assignment. The student's draft of the letter surprised me. On Monday I noted that reports and letters to strangers must not use first or second person--unless you are talking about your own experiences relevant to the topic and the reader. The student started the letter with "I."

Use of First/Second Person: A student reading this post may ask, "Then why did you use I in this post." In this environment, meaning the classes in Dana 238 on Monday's and Wednesday's between 1:30 and 4:15, students have recognized an expert in writing. When a group of individuals (readers, listeners) recognize an individual as an expert, then the individual has earned the right to use first (I, we, me, my, mine, our, ours) or second (you, your, yours) person in his/her presentation. When writing about Internet marketing, no one in Dana 238--including the teacher--has earned that right because no group recognizes any individual in that classroom as an expert in Internet marketing.

Focus on the How, Not the What: English 202 concentrates on the fundamental skills of writing (and thinking) effectively so that another individual will acknowledge the writer's credibility. The class is not teaching students about Internet marketing--at least not in the same manner as a marketing professor would present the material.

A few students have expressed concern about what they should write. After more than a dozen years in most education systems, students have learned--effectively--to repeat what they have heard or read. That method of "learning" will not work in English 202. What a student writes about Internet marketing will have little impact on his/her grade. How a student writes about Internet marketing will dramatically affect the student's grade.

Grades: Finally, a few students are concentrating on getting an A. The approach will not help. The fastest way to learn any subject comes from wanting to learn, from a willingness to endure the frustration that comes with learning a new task, from a desire to improve. Taking that tack, a student will achieve the grade he/she deserves, and more importantly, will leave the class in December with the skills that will help him/her achieve her goals in business.

By concentrating on a grade, a student sets himself up for failure. Should a student earn a B+, an excellent grade, but he wants an A, then he has failed--a silly notion. Should a student focus on learning, then in all likelihood, he will earn the A, at least on the undergraduate level.

Students also should remember that they can revise their assignments. They will receive the higher of the two grades for the assignment. In other words, should a student get a D on the first submission and earns an A on the revision, then the student will receive an A for the assignment. Should a student get a B on the first version but a C+ on the revision, then the student will receive a B.