Making A Difference!

I watched the YouTube video Practical nightmare: Reimaging KU Composition Class in a Post- Corbett world.  I loved how the YouTube title was scribbled out in white and then the handwritten word CUTS came across the video in red. The music was a really nice touch that added a bit of drama. Which of course, who doesn’t love a bit of drama? Next Dr. Morris welcomes you to the Kutztown University Composition Conference.  She explains that the panel is talking about the axing of the English Composition budget from Governor Corbett.  The YouTube video is in two parts.  Part one is what a current English Composition class looks like today and Part two is what is believed that a class will look like with post Governor Corbett’s budget cuts.  Part one showed a very organized English Composition class discussing montage writings and lyric essays.  The students were very interested in the class and paying attention.  Several student stand in front of the class and read their montage writings.  Part two shows a much larger class and no one is interested in what Dr. Morris is saying.  She is taking attendance by student number.  The students do not appear to be interested in the class and are talking.  Dr. Morris is trying to talk over the class.  None of the students seem to care about the class or what Professor Morris is teaching.  Students are laughing, walking out of the class (aka Katie Schreck) and listening to music (aka Vanessa Long and myself). Fun fact: we were jamming out to songs from Glee. Since the class is so large there is only ten seconds allowed for each montage presentation. At the end of class the students throw their portfolios on the desk where Dr. Morris is sitting.  The portfolios are falling on the floor in a big messy heap.  After Part two Dr. Morris has some closing comments. She said the video was to make you laugh, but the budget cuts are a serious situation.  If classes are larger than the current twenty to twenty-five students it will be a very difficult situation for professors and students.  I enjoyed at the end how the famous motto “United we stand divided we fall” with “United we stand, underfunded we fail!” It was quite clever! I hope that the budget cuts do not affect our composition classes at Kutztown University! That would be absolutely horrible!!

  
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApGrqtPcRGA