that looming essay

marite
Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:00:28 +0000

I’d suggest she writes an essay about this topic. Get it out of her head. Then she can try to think about other topics. My Ss wrote about many different ones. Some turned out far better than others. Those were actually the easiest to write.
One general tip: what should the essay say about the author (not about the teacher who inspired him or her, the life-changing experience, the issues raised by books that were read, but the author). This is the starting point of any essay. I still love Originaloog’s story about his S writing about his crooked teeth life a picket fence, the essay by a former student poster about reluctantly embracing jogging, another about making a dessert that reminded her of her grandmother. Each gave the reader a good sense of the author’s personality.