2nd Day of Class

The second class I'm taking is "Craft of Writing for Children" and we met for the first time today. I think this is going to be my favorite class despite the fact that I wasn't a huge fan of the reading list.

Here's the story behind the class: It was supposed to be taught by Professor L, but Prof. L couldn't teach it. However, the reading list had already been distributed to students and student had already ordered the books. Professor P agreed to teach the class and consented to use the original reading list.

So what's wrong with the reading list? It's almost all realistic fiction, with the exception of two books that are historical fiction. I'm not a big reader of realistic fiction. I prefer, fantasy, science fiction, adventure, and mystery. Many of the books on the reading list dealt with topics like drugs, abuse, depression, eating disorders, suicide, etc. And if you know me at all, you know that's not my cup of tea. I read books to escape the real world, not read about real world problems.

However, I think I'm going to like this class because the teacher recognized the fact that the reading list was focused on just one genre, so she's letting us explore other genres through individual presentations. And she's a nurturing "mom" type teacher, but at the same time VERY knowledgeable about the subject matter.

Though she's a bit obsessive compulsive about how we keep our notes. She wants us to set up a binder with sheet protectors and have our notes color coded with highlighters. I spent $40 at Staples on supplies for her class...

I have lots of work to do for tomorrow's class that I should get started on. Peter Hunt's Intro to Children's Lit will put you to sleep, and already has for me...