This is my second semester with Marlen as my teacher. Since I had him last semester, I knew somewhat to expect and what he expected from me. Just like last semester, I found Marlen to be an exceptional teacher going beyond the everyday academics. Yes, it is an english class, but unlike the boringness one would typically expect, it is quite the opposite. And it is obvious among the students. Most participate and actually seem interested in what we talk about. And what we talk about it enjoyable and helpful. In previous english classes, mainly high school, they consisted of reading typical novels, comprehension tests, and writing papers on the novels. How boring! In this class, we read the book, but analyze them in a way that is more efficient. Instead of those stupid comprehension tests, we have discussions, ask and answer questions, and share our opinions. If I can speak for other students beside myself, I think it is safe to say that we learn much much more from the book in this way. The multiple blogs and poems has helped me. I did not find it to be busy work or as having homework everyday. I actually liked writing everyday because I could write anything that was on topic. I used my creativity and just let it flow. And the more I wrote, the easier it was. Already I have learned a lot in this class. My goal is to improve my writing of course. I feel that I already improved a little from this class. I know I improved my reading skills-reading, understanding, analyzing, and discussing. I feel I have benefited from this much more than I would have if we had just read books and had quizzes. I really do not have any specific recommendations. I like the class how it is. I like the lenientcy, not because I am lazy, but because this is the first time I have had freedom to explore for myself rather than being bombarded by rules from left to right. I feel as if I benefited from this as well as other students. If I had to make a suggestion, I feel like the students should do more oral presentation and discussion.
