By Megan Butler

My entire class grew out of the “center of gravity” reading I assign during week 3. After reading this piece, I wanted to transform its ideas into a class. Finding supporting articles and journalism was easy for me since the topic of education has been at the forefront of so many post-pandemic national conversations. That prominence also allows me to change my readings on a regular basis, which keeps the class fresh for me, too. I like that we spend the quarter talking about a topic in which the students are deeply invested. During one of the first few days of class, I ask the students three questions: Did you go to high school in an urban, suburban, or rural place? Did someone read to you when you were little? Did you go to preschool? In the five years I’ve been teaching, less than a handful of students (that’s 5!) come from rural areas, weren’t read to as kids, or didn’t go to preschool. We spend the quarter talking about why those questions matter.

I devote the first half of the quarter to problems; in the second half, we focus on solutions. The students’ final assignment, the MA2, has them ask for a grant for an education solution, something they’ve read about during the quarter and research more deeply for their request. Increased education has tangible benefits to their lived lives beyond getting a higher paying job post-graduation. Watching students develop that knowledge throughout the quarter is really satisfying for me.

Assignments at a Glance

SA1: Blog post (due end of Week 1)
SA2: Communications review (due end of Week 2)
Idea slide for genre translation (due end of Week 3)
MA1: Genre Translation (due end of Week 4 before Week 5 conferences)
SA3: Annotated Interview questions (due end of Week 6)
SA4: Complex Claim and Annotated Bibliography (due end of Week 7)
Bar stool pitch for MA2 (due mid-week 8)
MA2: Grant Request (due end of Week 8)
Final Portfolio (due end of quarter)