Reflections on my first time teaching GE

Last year, I enjoyed coming to class almost every day. I say almost because there was a period of about four weeks that I would go into my Honors Freshman English class with a pit in my stomach. Why? Because we were tackling the very difficult Great Expectations by Charles Dickens. To be sure, I love the book. I first read GE when I was in eighth grade during an independent novel reading unit. I found the characters to be exciting and complicated. I connected with Pip and was rooting for his relationship to work with Estella (I feel like a complete sucker just writing that for reasons you will learn about after you are done reading the novel).

No, it wasn't the book that gave me an anxious feeling in my gut; it was the deer-in-the-headlight responses I would get when I asked my students analytical (sometimes even surface level) questions about their reading. It became clear to me that a majority of my Honors students weren't doing the reading or they were merely using Spark Notes (As an aside, I am NOT against using Spark Notes. However, Spark Notes should be a supplement to your reading, not an excuse not to do your reading. It was very clear to me through impromptu and quiz questions, which students only read the Spark Notes.).

This is a new year, though, and this is a different group of students. I realize that I need to approach the novel differently and my hope is that through blogging that you will all be able to understand, enjoy, and appreciate this novel. During this reading, you will not be completing study guide questions, but engaging with the book through a series of blog posts. Your blog posts will be based on the readings, but should NOT be mere summaries of the reading. Your posts should be connections and thoughts that arise from the text.

Getting Started:
Each student needs to create a blog. You can use blogger, wordpress, or any other format that you are comfortable with, but you must send me your link by Thursday at midnight.
Remember that you should never use your full name in your blog (I would be Kelli F.) and you should never give information about your location (I hope this all sounds really redundant!).

Format:
Blogs are designed to be informal. You may use personal pronouns, but you must adhere to the principals of good writing (i.e. edit and revise your work). Typical blog posts are between 300-500 words, but I am not going to limit you.

Deadlines:
Your first blog post is due Monday, Dec. 2 @ 8 a.m. This post will be based on your Expectation interviews.
From then on your posts will be based on your thoughts from the reading:
Friday, Dec.  7 @ 8 a.m. 2nd blog post due.
Friday, Dec. 14 @ 8 a.m. 3rd blog post due.
Friday, Dec. 21 @ 8 a.m. 4th blog post due.

You are not limited to only four blog posts, but these are my minimum expectations.

Questions? Comments? Let me know what you think about this approach!