Letters2
Dear Marlen,
This semester has been very great for me! I truly loved this class and all we discussed. I feel like I can tell you just about everything I want to in about a page, so pulling two pages is going to be rough. =) Not because I don’t know what I’m going to say, but because I have a tendency to blunt with my letters and I don’t like to draw things out…Unless I’m talking, haha.
This semester was really fun. I enjoyed reading about the archetypes and how they really affect peoples lives. I never thought about them before and how they work, but I’ve heard of them a few times before this class. After watching the Star Wars videos on archetypes throughout the film, it all made much more sense! Now, the only real suggestion regarding archetypes is that maybe you really should show the videos instead of having the class read the Power of Myth book. It added way too much to the already hefty reading schedule. Also, I think you should do more with the workbook, because it was helpful, but I feel like we didn’t use it at all. It’s really sad, because as a class we all said it helped, but it just seemed like it was there for our own reference and not really as a class where we can discuss it.
I really liked all the books we read during class, but I do feel it was quite a bit. I’m not a slow reader, but I’m not a fast one either, so I think if you took out Watership Down, then it would be plenty. Not that I didn’t think Watership Down was informational with everything we learned about in class at that point, but in comparison to Siddhartha, the Color Purple, and Middlesex, I feel it was really lacking in depth. Like, it was a really good story, just not quite up to the caliber of the rest of the stuff read in class.
I feel like I’m ranting more than I’m actually writing a letter to you. I feel bad for it, but at the same time, I’m sure you like the constructive criticism! I must say though, that so far you are one of my favorite professors here at IUP. I feel that you do care about our success, but like many of my favorite professors and teachers you won’t take slacking as an answer. It’s funny how most of my favorite instructors over the years have been because of their ability to be harsh. And most of them were English instructors too! I feel that the special combination of making learning fun with the addition of being consistent and strict with grading will keep kids in line. I feel bad about what happened with the rate my professors thing. In all honesty, I don’t think it was right. You did your best to teach then and I can’t believe someone would blow that out of proportion. I feel it was more a personal attack than an attack on your teaching. It should make you feel good to know that pretty much the whole class wanted to defend you. =)
I only have a few other things to say…not much really. I would suggest much less poetry, but I’m not much of a poetry fan myself. I’m not exactly sure why, but I don’t feel it like others might. Maybe, instead of a final poetry book, maybe you could do something like a “Creative” book. Like, instead of just a book of poems, maybe if you have more artistic people they could write a book and use illustrations? Or a song book or something. I don’t know, I’m just not partial to poetry, ha ha. I guess a counter argument to that would be about the presentations are a better way to express our creative self. I really liked the presentations! I liked how we could do them on anything, as long as we could bring it back to the class. I thought that was wonderful, because right now I’m working on another huge project for another class, and knowing exactly what I wanted to do with this one cut back on my time putting it together. I think you should keep going with it!
I guess I just want to say thank you for being an awesome professor and making this class interesting and fun. I found everything valuable not that difficult to understand. Thanks for making this a learning experience and good luck to you in Florida!
Sincerely,
Kim Siverling
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