They Get It

At the beginning of each semester, I have my students write a reflective essay on a topic related somehow to the course content. I grade these on a simple 10-point scale. I assign the essay for two reasons: to get them thinking about an important course-related topic and to give them immediate feedback on the quality of their writing. Because writing matters.

I just finished scoring the reflective essays for my Advanced Child Development Theory course. They had to write about learning, and specifically, about their experiences with, and thoughts about, learning in college.

I love reading these essays. Part of it is that, due to the rubric I use, they're easy to grade. I just post a score, and they get an explanation through the rubric.

But the main reason I love reading them is that I love being privy to what the students think about their own learning. It's often inspirational and even awe-inspiring.

Here are two sentences from two different students' essays that moved me.

"For me, learning is the key that can open doors that I never knew were locked."

"There is absolutely way too much unknown that needs to be known that I can't wait to know." 

I love learning.