Last night I went to bed feeling really down... after doing my best during the whole afternoon (yesterday it was a bank holiday, so the girls and I were both at home), I realised I'd only managed to produce 2 new pages... TWO? TWO!!! And double-spaced!!!
It was yesterday that I started writing the "Scope and Focus of the Study" section, something I've never read before in my life. As a reader, I find that the least interesting section in any work I've come across... Though I'm working using a model, I keep fishing for words and "mentally stammering"...
Overwhelmed, I emailed what I'd produced to Sharon and went to bed, and even cried a few tears for the feeling of "being at a loss"... My last thought was (as far as I remember) "Do I really have a good reason for getting through all this?"
But this morning I find Sharon has taken the trouble to reply before going to bed (her time), and her feedback helps me see my two pages are sound, the many questions I'd asked now have answers, and this helps me move "forward and faster", and that there is at least one reader (whom I really care about) eagerly waiting to see how my text goes on... The sun has not come up yet, but I think I can feel it in my heart!
How lucky I am to have met you, Sharon! (BTW, this would make an interesting point for a discussion of the role of the teacher in process writing... ;-)!)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Dear New Day Starter,
Isn't that the best thing about a new dawn? Everything seems newer and better in the sunshine of another day.
GJGB
I've come across this in a book I'm reading with one of my classes:
"Yip observes When a learners's state of L2 knowledge leads her to overuse a rule, construction, and so on, there is nothing in the input to tell her not to use it. Although natural input provides alternatives, these may not be noticed ... Someone has to say what is not possible and this is clearly a task for the teacher. ... What is needed is reformulation, perhaps with }Did you notice....? comments, provided in a supportive way in a positive learning environment" (Michael Lewis (1997:53-4); Implementing The Lexical Approach; italics in the original)
Maybe I'm getting obsessed about my thesis, but my first reaction was to think of my "desperate" search for a mentor, somebody able to tell me what was plausible and what was just possible... I'm so glad I've found her!
And that's why I'll also keep working on this blog: humbly hoping it can help others climb their own "Himalayas"!
Yesterday I realized now it takes me only about 40 minutes to write what I used to produce in 2 hours, and that only because I need to find new ways of saying the same thing! (it's hard not to get repetitive when you're discussing the same thing for the seventh time!).
That was kind of reassuring, believe me!
Post a Comment