Don't Get Me Started

The I-search paper is compelling but also a little frightening. Compelling because it is essentially reflects Spandel’s proposed right of every writer to choose a personally important topic. Frightening because most of the rules are gone and so are the crutches.
Macrorie pointed out that “School term papers that are written from the directions in English composition textbooks or study aids are the most unoriginal writings the world has ever seen.” (pg 54) I know I have mentioned here before the research paper I had to “write” in tenth grade in which every sentence had to be a paraphrase or direct quote of a previously published work. While that was incredibly frustrating to me, it was also in a way comforting because I did not have to have an original thought. But don’t get me started on how frustrating and insulting that is… again.
I am not sure how the Swoger piece fit with the other readings, but let me try to figure it out. It could be that Scott was given the opportunity to find his own topic. Swoger mentions that for the first time Scott was able to express emotion. None of his teachers had seen such an expression from him before. Scott experienced freedom and it allowed him to open up and to grow.
Again, I’m ticked at the establishment. I haven’t had any teacher’s quite as frustrating as Spandel’s Mr. Graphite, but many of them operate under the same principles and philosophies. Those of you going into teaching, please do not forget the lessons we are learning here.