26 "Help"- Andrew Hardy

It's strange to be writing a blog post that's directed towards another person, since they've been pretty self-centred, but here goes.
I'm (old habits die hard) skeptical of high school English classes. I don't enjoy non-fiction writing. I don't think the government imposed trend towards informative prose is healthy, and I don't think it's helpful for students in the long term. That said I think this class had done an incredible job of preparing me for expository prose. The essay writings throughout the year, and the manner in which we grade them, has been one of the first times we've had time in high school to examine our own writing. I appreciate that while we've had an opportunity to deal with the multiple choice and rhetorical analysis they assess, we don't dwell on it. A teacher reducing critical thought processes to a textbook equation destroys any enjoyment or excitement in the activity. My only suggestion or criticism would be to do more of what makes the class good. Starting off a year by putting yourself, and the rigor of the class, down feels to me like a sure-fire way to lower the engagement of kids. You've had a lot more experience in this, and I'm impressed you found a system that worked, but I think if you're worried about being respected,  more regular writing in class and legitimate assignments would be more productive than self-deprecation. In a similar vein, 150 words a week is a paltry amount of writing for a "gifted class". These blog posts are interesting, but I know my responses end up overwrought and ridiculous, and while I'd thought of them as tongue-in-cheek, I'm sure I've been judged for them. On the reverse, I've witnessed a lot of people writing stilted responses that come off more as subtly-veiled bragging than a creative output. I think daily personal writing assignments in addition to the blogposts would be a powerful addition to the class.