Michael Metzler Owatonna High School
"If your only tool is a hammer, you'll treat everything as a nail..."
- Abraham Maslow
Dear College Composition Students:
Welcome. I know that many of you are feeling a bit intimidated. It kind of comes with the territory when considering the title of this course: College (little fish in a big pond again) and Composition (writing is never easy) -- two all-purpose intimidators. I hope to alleviate some of your trepidation, however, by telling you first and foremost that I love you. Yes, that seems "dorky" (or whatever the current teenage lexicon would substitute for that classification), but it is true, and it will remain true despite the likelihood that we will encounter our share of conflict and tribulation this term.
Communication seems to be a part of human nature. We have always felt compelled to communicate, whether it was a couple of hairy-backed brutes grunting at each other about their fire, Egyptians painting symbols on walls, our founding fathers drafting their independence, or a student from OHS sending an e-mail to a friend in Germany.
I ask you to begin now to develop your sensitivity and strength. For our writing community to work optimally, you must become sensitive to the needs of others. What do they need to know about the world? You are probably that very special someone whose responsibility it is to enlighten them. Become sensitive to yourself, as well. What do you need to know about the world? Wait. . . forget about need. What do you want to know? Ask the questions. Take another look. Pursue with passion. Learn to look. Learn to listen. Learn to long for the truth. True beauty, true understanding, true wisdom, true experiences. . . sorrowful or otherwise. For it is these experiences that enrich our lives, leaving us awestricken by the ease with which they melt into memories. What are our lives anyway, but experiences and memories with a little bit of space and time, here and there, for thought and wonder?! To make these experiences, these moments and memories, count, we must solidify our inner strength. It takes great strength to face our newly-discovered truths, extensions of ourselves, on paper. It takes greater strength to share those fragile creations with others. Yet that is what we will do. . . often. Hence, we must learn to approach the writing craft critically and with compassion. In simplest terms, you will be expected to share and to care.
So, strap yourselves in, 'cause there ain't no airbags on this bus. But it is the "Love Bus," so we'll survive together!
Warmest regards,
Michael Metzler
P.S. I've included some course-specific stuff on the flip-side of this sheet. While it didn't seem appropriate wedged within a warm welcome note, this letter is serving as some pseudo syllabus substitute, so it's gotta go somewhere! Dear American Lit Students:
Welcome. When Walt Whitman wrote those lines, he was celebrating something we have all come to understand -- that America is one very special place. It is a country with a history of hope. Hope for a new and better life, free from oppression and rich in opportunity. It may be the only country with a dream named after it -- "The American Dream." It's a promising place where "all...are created equal." That, in and of itself, should make us want to sing. Yet, as Whitman points out, our songs are diverse. The attractiveness of this country has lured people of myriad cultures, beliefs and backgrounds. With these differences come different dreams.
That's right, the American Dream may mean different things to different people. It certainly seemed out of reach for Langston Hughes who spoke of the "deferred" dream. It was called into question by Allen Ginsberg when he wrote, "America, I have given you all and now I am nothing." And certainly Martin Luther King, Jr. felt that many had not yet realized the American Dream when he gave his famous speech in Washington. As the country evolved and had new collective experiences, its authors' interpretations of the American Dream evolved too. The young America that was primarily rural with confident, idealistic people who believed in God had a much different outlook than the World War I America that had become industrialized and urbanized, had been forced to deal with the implications of Darwin's evolution theory, and had seen the greed of a small minority of business bosses put the squeeze on a majority of average hard-working people. So, the differing outlooks abound in our country's rich history -- from the puritans to Poe, from Ben Franklin to the beat poets, from spirituals to Sandburg, from Twain to T.S. Eliot. Despite the differences, however, it's still all American Literature.
Tackling all this literature might seem a bit intimidating. Well, I hope to alleviate some of your trepidation by telling you first and foremost that I love you. Yes, that seems "dorky" (or whatever the current teenage lexicon would substitute for that classification), but it is true, and it will remain true despite the likelihood that we will encounter our share of conflict and tribulation this term. I ask you to begin now to develop your sensitivity and strength. For our learning community to work optimally, you must become sensitive toward others by respecting and tolerating their differences. Become sensitive to yourself, as well. You will surely evolve and grow as you read and discuss new literature. Solidify your inner strength. You'll need it when it comes time to share your new discoveries and ideas in writing and class discussions. You should try to think critically, but with compassion. In simplest terms, you will be expected to share and to care. Let's have fun!
Warmest regards,
Michael Metzler