Mercy

I imagine you guys have been pretty busy these last few weeks... Just the same I was a little disappointed that most of you did not take advantage of the last few weeks... I think maybe I was a little hard on you today... and I did give you until Friday... so I'm going to extend the deadline for blogging until next Friday... this means you can blog as much as you want... but it doesn't mean you'll get full marks..

It also means that if you already have 16/16... you can get a few points extra credit if you continue blogging... It's up to you really...

Just the same I hope you can take advantage of this "mercy" and make up for the lost points.. for me it's more important that you do the work, than get a bad grade.. so I hope you can try... Have a great weekend, and don't leave things to the last minute!!

Sincerely,

Your Instructor,

Joshua J. Suarez

Stories to Summarize

Hey guys, I hope you're all doing well these days... This is our last week of blogging so I thought I'd give you a little opportunity to blog with me...

I'm going to post a story for you to read. After you read it, write a short summary of the story as a "reply" to my post.

Here's the first story for this weekend:

PS: Notice that in this "story" or "writing" there are actually a few stories to summarize... try to count how many there are... and figure out what the author is trying to say.. then summarize by recounting each one and explaining why the author chose to tell those stories, etc.

Important Than Presents

by: Author Unknown, Source Unknown

A man going abroad to work leaves his fiancee crying. "Don't worry, I will write you everyday," he said. For years he did write her. But since he was happy with his job, he had no immediate plans of going home. One day, he received a wedding invitation. His girl friend was scheduled to be married. To whom? To the mailman bringing regularly the letters of her boy friend! Indeed, distance does make hearts flounder. The poor boyfriend surely explained, "What went wrong? I sent her letters, chocolates, and flowers." When relationships go wrong, the list of things given and done for the person usually crops up. We say, "I have given you this and that...I have done these things for you." It seems that love is simply proven by the bestowal of gifts and favors. But while presents are important, love demands what is basic: presence of the beloved. I have observed for instance, the orchids of my mother. When she's away for a long time, they are unhealthy and many of them wither. But when she is around, they bloom with beautiful flowers. My mother does nothing exceptional. She just spends much time talking and caressing them. I guess persons all the more require a caring presence. Love is fundamentally a commitment to a person. We may be committed to our business, job, hobby, sports and clubs, but strictly speaking, they cannot love us back. Only a person can love us in return, and for that matter the highest commitment as human beings is spending time with those persons we love. And since people need affection and nourishment, material things can only help up to a certain degree in fostering love. But it can never replace the greatest gift of presence. Martha was busy with her job. She believed she had to work harder because she loves her father who is sick of cancer. She has to provide for his expensive medicines. Her brothers and sisters meanwhile stayed with their father most of the time. They bathed him, sang for him, spoon-fed him or simply kept him company. One day Martha was hurt. She overheard her father telling her mother, "All our children love me except Martha." "How can this be?" Martha thought. "Am I not the one killing myself in my work to have money to buy for his medicines? My brothers and sisters do not even provide their share in the expenses as much as I do." One night, as Martha was as usual late in going home, she peeped for the first time in the room where her father was lying. She noticed that her father was still awake. She decided to come close at his bedside. Her father held her hands and said, "I miss you. I don't have much time. Stay with me." And she stayed with her father holding his hand the whole night. The next morning Martha said to everybody, "I have taken a leave of absence. I would like to be with father. I will bathe him and sing for him from now on." Her father had a beautiful smile. He knew this time Martha loves him. * As children, we need the assuring presence of our loved ones. Adult people need no less. *

Blog Grades and Next Essay

Hello Students!

I've posted your second blog grade of the semester. You will get two more grades for your blog this semester so please keep them up-to-date!

Remember that your Personal Experience Essay is due this Friday. If you are ready to turn it in turn it in on Wednesday! If not, Friday is fine. Thanks.

See you all tomorrow! Have a pleasant evening.

Class Update 1

Hello Everyone! I hope you had a wonderful weekend! I had a good time with my friends...I'm glad to be back home. Just wanted to say that most of you are doing well in your writing, and I'm happy to see the enthusiasm and effort many of you are putting into this course. Keep it up!

I will be grading your blogs this week, starting tomorrow afternoon most probably. So please make sure your blog is up-to-date by then. (Obviously if you're just about to write a new post that's not going to help you much. Consistency is what we're looking for here.)

Please continue to improve your "Personal Experience" essays. I'll be editing your first drafts this week and handing them back to you on Wednesday so that you can start to improve on what you have. Don't be fooled by the idea that you have a lot of time until October 17 to turn this one in. I will be grading you much tougher this time. Work on your grammar, sentence and paragraph structure.

We're having some problems with our office hours. Some of you can't make it to the ones I've previously set. Therefore we're looking to readjust them. Look for my office hours to be: Mondays 4:20 to 5:50pm and Wednesdays from 2:45pm - 4:15pm. If you need some assistance, please come during those hours. If that doesn't work, and you are in desperate need, we can arrange something else hopefully.

Well, enough writing for now. Have a great start on your week, keep a happy smile and happy heart. :)

Writing about Myself: Assignment Instructions

Hello everybody! I hope and pray that your holidays were excellent and that you were able to spend quality time with your family and friends. I just stayed around home relaxing mostly. I also went to see some of my friends. We played some pocket ball and also went to see movies. But it's back to work. Here's a few notes to help you get back on track... = )


For all of those who are a little bit confused about your assignment that is due this Wednesday, here are some instructions:

1. Write 3-5 paragraphs describing yourself (Try to have one paragraph that introduces yourself, then have 2-3 paragraphs that have supporting ideas with supporting details, and have a conclusion to your self-description)

2. Write it out first on Microsoft Word (Or other word-processor). Edit it there before you post it on your blog site. (Hand in your self-description on Wednesday's class)

3. All your self description essays should be posted on your blog site by 9:00PM Wednesday night. After this you will lose 20% of the total possible points for each day late.

4. You will be graded for: A) General Impression B) Creativity C) Organization D) Depth

Here's what I mean for each criteria:

General Impression: When I finish reading it, do I have a good idea of who you are?

Creativity: Were you able to keep my interest as I read throughout your self-description?

Organization: How are your ideas supported with details? Is there a clear structure?

Depth: Is it just a superficial description of you, or is there a deeper window into you?


If you have any more questions, please email me at: jjskhu@hotmail.com

See you next class!


PS: Please remember that you should keep your blog sites ACTIVE! Some of you have not been writing at all since you started your blog. You should try to average at least 1-2 posts a week. I want to see that you are active and writing. Also, you should visit other students websites and also leave comments to what they have written! Thank you.

Kyung Hee University: English Writing

Welcome KHU English Writing Students!

This is my small blogspot where I will post some announcements or other directions for our course. Please visit this site frequently to see if there are any new updates for our class. Make your own blogspot as soon as possible. Edit it however you'd like, and post a picture of yourself as soon as you can!

You will be required to write on your own blog twice a week. Write anything you wish regarding the current class discussions. You are also encouraged to visit other students' blogsites as well.

Here is the the grading rubric we will follow based on a 1-5 point system (5 being the most points, 1 being the least):

1. Consistency in posting
   
2. Creativity
3. Relevant writing content
   
4. Grammar/Spelling/Punctuation

I'm looking forward to reading all your writings, and having a great semester! Best of wishes!

Sincerely,
Your Instructor,

Joshua J. Suarez MA, Ed.

PS. If you have any questions, please write to me at jjskhu@hotmail.com.