How do you choose a CC English 101 teacher?

[Kendall]

I think we may go with a community college English 101 class. Do you have any suggestions about what I could ask the potential instructors? What do you look for in a course like that? I'd like to avoid "Stupid stuff" and get something qualiaty. I'm not sure what the stupid stuff looks like, but I'm sure it is out there LOL(any stories from your experiences to confirm this?). I was planning on him taking an in person class, but are there any disadvantages to an online English 101 class?

 

Thanks!

[Kareni]

Trying to tread gently here, but when a student goes to the community college to take classes, he is expected to be the adult and do any talking with instructors that is necessary. All grades will be given to him alone and you'll be out of the picture. (Except for paying the bill!)

 

One suggestion is to determine first when your son can take the class, then see what is offered at that time. Then take a look at ratemyprofessor.com to see if there is any feedback available for the given instructors. (Then take those ratings with a large grain of salt! Often it is the least mature/hardworking students who appear to write the reviews.)

 

My teen has had great success taking community college classes last year (as a junior) and this year. Be forewarned too that content of the classes can be quite adult in nature. After all, the classes are intended for adults not advanced high schoolers.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[LoriM]

My dd was 16 yo when she took English 111 at the CC. We took "luck of the draw" for the instructor. :) It turned out to be just fine (she's a diligent student who did the work required of her), but we are little bit more liberal than some of you...probably more conservative than some of you too! At some point in the early part of the semester, the professor talked about the wedding shower her friends threw for her, including the lingerie and assorted adult material she'd received as gifts. My dd was a bit embarrassed, but handled herself well. Later in the semester, when it became common knowledge that my dd was only 16, the professor apologized profusely (in private, without singling her out in front of the class), and complimented her maturity in writing and discussion ("I thought you must be 25 years old!"). Anyway, had I known then what I know now about the staff in the English department, I would have chosen differently. We just took the course section that fit nicest in her schedule. :)

 

Ironically, we attempted to take the same professor for my younger dd's English 111 but it didn't work out. So, my younger dd took a professor who was recommended to us by my older dd's English 113 instructor, and despises him, and freshman comp. Sigh. She's still making an A, but she really dislikes it.

 

As far as "what content" for an English 101 (or 111 as it's numbered here), they are all alike in our area. :) Freshman composition, basic literary analysis, all short story-driven. Most of the students in the course don't read, certainly not for pleasure, but barely even for school.

 

See the other thread for all the reasons not to take an online course. :)

 

In my opinion, the only reason to take English 101 is to be able to take English 102. The second course of freshman English (English 113 here) was an outstanding course in research-based writing. As a result of the training she received in that course, my daughter has excelled in all her writing-intensive coursework in every discipline.

 

Lori

[LoriM]

Trying to tread gently here, but when a student goes to the community college to take classes, he is expected to be the adult and do any talking with instructors that is necessary. All grades will be given to him alone and you'll be out of the picture. (Except for paying the bill!)

 

At our CC, minor-aged students' parents receive a midterm report (with a hand-written note from each instructor giving the parent feedback on the student's participation, work quality, and overall preparedness). Plus, the classes are free (!), so the only bill we pay is for books. Now, I agree that students should certainly use the CC as a chance to *learn* how to be their own advocate in the educational process, and discuss issues with professors themselves...but it's not as harsh as "if you are in college, you are on your own." :) For one child, I really had to help with a gentle landing. For my current CC-attending child, she is on her own. And likes it that way.

 

My teen has had great success taking community college classes last year (as a junior) and this year. Be forewarned too that content of the classes can be quite adult in nature. After all, the classes are intended for adults not advanced high schoolers.

 

Regards,

Kareni

 

Worst offenders for us were the "softer" sciences like health, psych, sociology, and literature courses. Best for young and old alike were sciences and maths. It's hard to make Calculus offensive...ha!

[Kareni]

At our CC, minor-aged students' parents receive a midterm report (with a hand-written note from each instructor giving the parent feedback on the student's participation, work quality, and overall preparedness). Plus, the classes are free (!), so the only bill we pay is for books.

 

Wow, Lori, that is quite a profound difference from here. I would certainly have appreciated free classes since here we have paid full fare.

 

Worst offenders for us {as regards adult content} were the "softer" sciences like health, psych, sociology, and literature courses. Best for young and old alike were sciences and maths. It's hard to make Calculus offensive...ha!

 

I wouldn't be surprised if someone could make Calculus offensive if they tried hard enough. One friend whose daughter also takes classes at the local community college commented to me on the level of profanity that her daughter has experienced ... from the instructor! My daughter has found adult material primarily in her literature and writing classes, not in math or science.

 

Regards,

Kareni

[Kendall]

I appreciate all of the responses and thought I would ask further questions. I would like to choose the best course from an educational standpoint. Are there more valuable writing assignments, less valuable? My first choice would be AP Eng Language, but for reasons I won't bore you with now(but may later) we may choose CC. I'd like to get the best writing instruction and I'm wondering if there is anything I should look for in the syllabus that would give me clues. I thought I would have my son request the syllabus. He is concerned about quality, also. We just aren't sure what to look for.

[Jane in NC]

I appreciate all of the responses and thought I would ask further questions. I would like to choose the best course from an educational standpoint. Are there more valuable writing assignments, less valuable? My first choice would be AP Eng Language, but for reasons I won't bore you with now(but may later) we may choose CC. I'd like to get the best writing instruction and I'm wondering if there is anything I should look for in the syllabus that would give me clues. I thought I would have my son request the syllabus. He is concerned about quality, also. We just aren't sure what to look for.

 

At the CC my son attends, students in Eng 111 all receive the same syllabus and use the same books. Do they receive the same quality of instruction? Of course not. You really need to make inquiries to learn about instructors. My son is currently enrolled in Expository Writing with an instructor who has the reputation of being tough and is also a guy that many students try to avoid because he is tough. Needless to say, my son purposely chose him because he knew that he would learn a lot--and he has!

 

Much of this is luck of the draw. When you look at the fall schedule of your CC, some of the courses may not have instructors listed. Even those that do may be altered before classes begin in August or September. You are either going to have to choose the best time for your student's schedule or you can determine the schedule on the basis of word of mouth reviews of the CC's English staff.

 

Take the reviews on Ratemyprofessors.com with a grain of salt. Some of helpful, some are written by whiners.

 

The advisor for dual enrollment at your CC may be able to assist you with your choice of instructor.

 

Jane

 

P.S. Our CC does not issue mid-term reports on minor students. In fact, I am a bit surprised that LoriM's CC does!

[LoriM]

P.S. Our CC does not issue mid-term reports on minor students. In fact, I am a bit surprised that LoriM's CC does!

 

We have a *very* involved concurrent enrollment department advisor. She really has a heart for "success" of the high schoolers who are taking courses on campus, and has a very realistic attitude about it. So, she has found that if professors are aware which of their students are high schoolers (at least by midterm), they help her as eyes and ears to give those younger students a bit more help to navigate the CC system.

 

The midterm reports originate from the Concurrent Enrollment office. She sends each instructor a letter with a form "please fill out and return to us" and then sorts and mails the stack per student to each parent. It's a TON of work, and I'm just as surprised as you that they can do it. Like most CC depts, they don't have enough help! But, she's really grown the department, and our CC is very high-school friendly.

 

They implemented the midterm reports last year. My older dd only got in the very end of it, and had only 2 professors report. This semester, all five of my daughter's professors wrote notes to let me know that she was on track for an A or a B, and that she was a respectful, contributing student. I don't have any problem getting realtime info from my children (so the reports are just bonus), but I do appreciate the extra effort the CC is making to show that my student's success is important to them.

 

Another thing she does is monitor students with high GPAs, to make sure they get recommended to honors societies on campus (Phi Kappa Theta and Gamma Beta Phi) and for Academic Excellence. I hope she never retires! GRIN.

[Mom-to-three-sons]

I second the information from Jane in NC. We asked friends who also home school in our area and whose children (grown children I guess) had already taken courses at said community college. In fact, I asked for years about the enrollment process and found that the CC in our city was less favorable OVERALL - but esp not friendly toward home educators - while the CC in our sister city 30 miles away was much more favorable OVERALL and also recognized home educators. Specifically, the problem and difference between the "not friendly toward" and the opposite is that the college in our sister city recognized parents as the high school counselor for their child(ren). For dual enrollment at public high schools, counselors approve a student for dual enrollment and also approve the number of hours they are allowed to take each semester, which must be no more than 9 in our state.

 

Specifically addressing your question, I will stress to ask other home school parents / students who have already been there or find somebody from church or from your local sports club -or from anywhere - in town whose opinion you trust. Ask about specific classes, because some may be better for English 101 while others are better for English 231, for example. I know of no other way to get the scoop.

 

I don't know if this is helpful or not, but my son(s) took English at the local CC (the one in our sister city). They each started out with an easy professor. They each made an A. The next semester my oldest decided he wanted more of a challenge and enrolled in second semester English course with a professor that fellow home-educated female friends (just friends) of his enjoyed. She was more liberal, but he thought he was up to it. He came home really worried. At first I thought he was just blowing off steam the first day or two, but then I decided he probably needed out so we acted fast before the add-drop period was over (lasts only a week or two at the beginning of each semester). He ended up having to take his class online, because he could not fit any of the other classes still open into his existing schedule. Since he was limited to an online class, I insisted he take it with Mr. Billy Feeler (or William Feeler). Billy is the Dean of the School of Fine Arts at the CC and he was also a home-school father. He was known for having a very challenging class. Before the semester was over, my son was upset with me that I "made" him switch to Mr. Feeler. He figured that, even though the other professor was weird, goofy, strange and reputedly the most difficult instructor on campus (Mr. Feeler only teaches online), he STILL would have found her course easier than Mr. Feeler's. NOW, he is thankful that he ended up taking that class and yet another under Billy. He says it taught him so much, including how to think critically in all subjects.

 

Since it is an online course, anyone in the United States can enroll in it...maybe even students from other countries? Anyway, I am not trying to give the guy a good plug, but I thought I would mention him as an option.

 

As far as "instruction" in general goes, I am not sure how much of that you get in an English class. I don't think Billy gave so much instruction, but just many assignments. Some professors instruct more than others. I will have to ask my son about the actual "instruction" and get back to you.

 

Sorry I'm not more help, but maybe you can glean something from this information.

[HS mom]

Kareni accurately summed up the CC experience here, also. I can't imagine anybody showing up with a parent. Or a parent talking to the instructor on behalf of the student. I really can't imagine free tuition!

[Guest Katia]

Kareni accurately summed up the CC experience here, also. I can't imagine anybody showing up with a parent. Or a parent talking to the instructor on behalf of the student. I really can't imagine free tuition!

 

I think the free tuition is dual enrollment through a public school? Is that correct? And the cc classes are considered Post Secondary Education or something like that. My kids were never enrolled in ps, so we have always paid for our cc classes.

 

I am constantly emailing my dd's cc professor about stuff I need to know. She always gets right back with me and is very helpful. When my ds attended, all his professors interacted with dh.

 

Our cc is committed to helping it's students succeed,and they are very glad when parents are involved. I wouldn't want my 16yo (well, 17 now) to attend if my questions and/or involvement were not welcome, but that's just me.

[Jane in NC]

I think the free tuition is dual enrollment through a public school? Is that correct? And the cc classes are considered Post Secondary Education or something like that. My kids were never enrolled in ps, so we have always paid for our cc classes.

 

I am constantly emailing my dd's cc professor about stuff I need to know. She always gets right back with me and is very helpful. When my ds attended, all his professors interacted with dh.

 

Our cc is committed to helping it's students succeed,and they are very glad when parents are involved. I wouldn't want my 16yo (well, 17 now) to attend if my questions and/or involvement were not welcome, but that's just me.

 

In NC any qualifying high school student who is at least 16 may participate in dual enrollment (college transfer or tech courses) and receive free tuition. Thus, in my son's English class at the CC this semester, there are two girls from traditional high schools, one or two from the onsite "early college" high school as well as the normal college crowd.

 

The NC policy has made CCs extremely popular among homeschoolers which is why many go that route. That said, one wonders why in today's economy more traditional high schoolers are not taking advantage of the program.

 

As the parent of a high school student, I must sign a supplementary form to my son's registration. I also sign as his counselor. But that is where my interaction with the CC ends. My son has taken complete responsibility for his science and history courses at the CC. (I usually ask when his exams or major assignments are due to help balance coursework on the homefront.) Writing, which is most challenging for him, is another matter. He and I have prewriting discussions. He asks me to read his papers at various stages to gage their clarity.

 

I am a bit surprised, Katia, that you email your daughter's profs. If my son has questions, he is the one who does the emailing or pays office calls. I am not suggesting that my son's profs would not be open to entertaining questions from parents. It is just that it has not even occurred to me to become involved in that aspect of the process.

 

Jane

[LoriM]

It is absolutely an amazing benefit of NC residence to have free tuition for high school students in the CC system. We took full advantage of it for our older dd, and are now enjoying it for our younger dd. (NC home schools are considered "private" schools, and our students are eligible for the same CC benefit as public or other private school high schoolers.)

 

I have not spoken with any of my dds' professors directly (except inadvertantly because I worked for the CC, and occasionally saw one or two at staff functions). But I have advised my student on *how* to communicate with her professor, and helped her word an email or two.

 

Lori

[Kendall]

Thank you for the different thoughts and prespectives. When he is taking a CC course I don't know that I would need/want to interact with the teachers, but before choosing I am responsible for designing/offering/choosing high school courses dual enroll or not. (though my son has much input into this as well). It is from this perspective that I asked the question. I appreciate all of the responses. Yesterday I talked to a few people locally and will continue to. One thing I keep hearing is ease. I wish I could evaluate quality from afar:). I checked into Mr. Feeler but out of state tuition is high. He sounded great. I would love a course that would require my child to write a lot.

 

 

I remember someone on the boards talking about the quality of writing assignments in Freshman English classes. I can't find the discussion. Tried again and here it is:

 

http://www.welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61489&highlight=personal+writing+assignments