Whenever a student walked into my English classroom with one of these, that person was immediately "suspect." Unfair perhaps, but too often foolish young sprouts would rely upon these tidy little books instead of reading the novels. And often wondered why they flunked the test! Have to smile whenever I pass this rack at a bookstore since retirement allows me to be merely amused now when I see them. I no longer have to convince students that they'll get lots more from the book itself.
Monday, June 19, 2006
Anathema
Whenever a student walked into my English classroom with one of these, that person was immediately "suspect." Unfair perhaps, but too often foolish young sprouts would rely upon these tidy little books instead of reading the novels. And often wondered why they flunked the test! Have to smile whenever I pass this rack at a bookstore since retirement allows me to be merely amused now when I see them. I no longer have to convince students that they'll get lots more from the book itself.
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I was more familiar with Cliff's Notes when I was teaching (as a graduate TA), and I always had them for anything I taught -- as a self-defense measure: if the students were pulling essay material out of Cliff's, I knew immediately! To do it right, I suppose I should also have had Sparks and the red and black ones whose name I have forgotten.
ReplyDeleteMonarch Notes (the red and black ones). Funny how you always remember right after you've hit "send" or "publish." L'esprit de l'escalier!
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