Welcome to the course. It is your course. Of course it's your course. You are paying for it with your money, with your time and with your attention. All of those are very dear to you even if you haven't thought about it in those terms.
We are here to help you learn how to read and write and research and reflect better. Those are all big goals that we will manage through a series of smaller goals and objectives. We will write stuff and read stuff and discuss stuff all semester. You will pick up some pretty important skills. And you will improve each week. Ready, player one?

I think I know why I think you are here. Do you know why? I am not talking about some ultimate why here, just your personal "why".

Yes, this is a boomer answer, but it is one possible answer.

You have to be somewhere during the pandemic. Here is as good as anywhere to some people.

You are here to learn. Yes, that much is obvious, but since learning can be done anywhere, why here?

And opportunities are everywhere, too. Why choose these?

Why not be here.

Opportunity dances with those already on the dance floor. Get on the floor and shake it out!

https://youtu.be/UGsfzsWkybc

Put yourself out there in the world so that people will respect you. You are worthy of respect, aren't you? Of course you are. Believe it.

Nobody likes failure, but it is our safety in disguise. And it is not permanent. Get back up, figure out what went wrong, talk to somebody (me, your advisor, your peers, other teachers) about it, and keep on.

One of the first questions I asked you about was what your expectations were for this class. What you mostly said was very general. I get that. But now we have to begin to re-imagine our expectations. Some of that effort will be based on what I expect of you, some will be based on your changing world. My best piece of advice is to write down your hopes and to get as specific as you can with them.

Ask for help. I just revealed the first half of the key to success in school. The second half? Keep asking. Learn, baby, learn. You can't let shame spoil your big shot. Besides it is no shame to not know. The big shame will be the waste of not making the effort to know. Don't worry. You will get plenty of opportunities to pay it forward. Plan on it.

That's your question to answer.

I can tell you the reason why I think we are learning to read and write better in this class.

The syllabus has lots of reasons why my department and our university think you should learn. They even specify what you should learn.

But it is on you to figure this out. Don't waste that one precious life. Know why you are doing everything at this university. If you can't figure it out, then ask around. People will respect you completely for wanting to know. Big time r-e-s-p-e-c-t.

Watch this video. COVID will pass. I think this is still very true.

I am nearing retirement, but I am thinking this age is not my stage.

Here is the link to the website she speaks of: http://www.100yearlife.com/your-stories/

Link to Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDJ735rwFAI

Click in lower right hand part of screen to watch video.

You will be living in a very different 100 years. No duh, right? Me, too. The future is going to be very different than we imagined. And the future, while it seems far away, is already here.

Check out this link about Google's new University: rebrand.ly/wzzrdln

You want wired, you want connected, you want networked. That is where the money and the fun and the future lay before you. Reading and writing are the entry tricks to this connected world. This is not just my opinion. Look around you at the people you think are successful. Are they connected? Damned straight, skippy.

There is that question again. I am selling you a product and a skillset. Are you buying? Yes, in fact you've already paid for it. That's the simplest reason to put yourself out there and leave everything on the field.

I love reading and writing more than anything. It is my good life. I realize many of you feel shortchanged on this. Even if reading and writing don't thrill you, you gotta know they are some of the keys to the highway. If you prefer, think of life here at the university as a poker game. Reading and writing are the ante you must 'pony up' to get into the game. It is a high stakes game, but it is one you can play and win if you put your precious self out there. It is not a perfect game, but I think you have decided for the moment that this class is worth it.

Let us get 100% real here. We live in a world where your zip code appears to determine your future. If you have been treated unfairly, we need to change that at the system level. Sometimes that is a big ask. If that won't work for you now, then I suggest you work on what you CAN control--yourself. As that self improves then the other self that wants change at the next level can get better as well. Any skill or product that makes you better is worth your precious time to learn. I assert that this course will help you compete on the unlevel playing field that exists. It isn't fair but it is what it is. I am on your side. Lace up.

You must imagine the long game. Why? Because long term vision is the only fuel for long-term motivation. And it is rocket fuel.

I don't think you should worry that your view of the distant might be wrong. It is your future and you can change it as circumstances dictate. This is as real as I can say. You are responsible for imagining your own future. You are responsible for seeking out the networks that will help you do so. This does not mean you are alone. Far from it. That big tuition you pay entitles you to ask for help over and over, without shame or fear. You have paid for your ticket and, by God, we owe you a safe trip.

Part of that future is one that flirts with the end of the world. Everything we do as teachers should be measured by the threat of global collapse. In other words, how is what you are learning in this English 100 course going to help you address the apocalypse?

I hope we can talk about this throughout the semester. Can we?

We really are in this together. Some people call this "solidarity" and some call it "mutual aid". Personally, I don't think we can compete our way out of this global problem. What we need to do is work on the local footprint level. I am a farmer and one of my farming heroes is Wendell Berry. He once said that the best fertilizers is the farmer's footprints. So,too, with our future. Keep walking together in solidarity. We make the road by walking it.

Click on the link in the bottom right hand corner to watch and listen to the poem by Mary Oliver.

Link to Video: https://youtu.be/16CL6bKVbJQ

Link to a copy of the poem:
https://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/133.html