WHY I SEND STUDENTS TO READ POSTS ON MY BLOG
Someone just made my day. She dropped this comment under the pinned post on my Facebook page, Aunty Edith:
“I’m beginning to love you, ma 🤭Aunty Edith!
“I heard stories of how students are forced to visit your blog, even when they feel like they don’t need it.
“But what I see is different from the picture they tried to paint.
“I thought I’m weird to have been optimistic in virtually everything I do, but I’ve seen a model of that today.
“I’ll be like you when I grow up, ma! 🤭”
My response:
“Thanks a lot for the compliment. It means a lot to me.
“About our students, training is not always pleasurable or desirable but the results are totally worth it.
“I need to emphasise that none of my blogs is commercial. Everything I do online is to teach and bless others, particularly my students, beyond what the limited time in the classroom can accommodate.”
Reasons I Send Students To Read Posts On This Blog
Let me elaborate on why I send students to read articles on this blog and do exercises from them as part of their continuous assessment (CA).
This blog has a category called Academic Resources that contains detailed lectures on different topics in Mass Communication. If you’ve visited any of our classrooms lately, you’ll see that the sitting arrangements do not offer the comfort of taking notes as every student would wish to. And even when they do, some students misspell words and mix up the ideas presented. So I upload material they can read at their leisure to get a better grasp of what they’ve been taught in some courses.
Moreover, by God’s grace, I teach mostly writing courses. So I give students writing assignments for CA. But to help them build their vocabulary and learn literary devices/techniques that can lift their writing above the pedestrian level, I send them to the blog, My Musings, to read just a little bit of the over 450 posts there.
My experience is that no matter how attractively you paint an exercise, students will not engage in it except they see that they can gain some marks from it. So I ask questions for submission to ensure they learn what I sent them to the blog for.
I’d like to reiterate that this is an altruistic, not profit-making, arrangement. I have no ads or affiliated marketing links on the blog. And I encourage students who don’t have smart phones to do the assignments with their friends who do.
On internet connection, students can use the school WiFi. If they live off campus or the WiFi connection is spotty, a few days of night plan on local GSM networks takes care of that.
The aim is to get the students excited about writing and equipped to venture into it frequently and successfully.
There’s also the aspect of character development. The university demands that students be found worthy in character and learning before being graduated. That is proper because education comprises both intellectual and moral training. We can hardly cover the intellectual aspect with the limited time we teach each semester. The moral aspect is almost forgotten.
The posts I send students to read convey moral lessons and values like honesty, determination and diligence.
I have addressed so many issues like Ponzi schemes and co-habitation to discourage students from engaging in them. I do this in both formal and informal posts. The latter are quite entertaining. Many are in poetic and fictional formats. That way, the students can learn while relaxing.
The search terms on the blog show that students in other disciplines also come to find material to do their assignments on the blog.
I consider this my contribution to the broad education of every young person who accesses the blog and I profusely thank all those who have encouraged me over the years in this venture.
(My second blog offers biblical encouragement and is thus called Aunty Edith’s Blog (Encouragement Café).
You may also like the following related posts:
The blog saga!!!
Thank God I realize the worth….and it’s no longer reading only to pass exams. But reading to know more.
I come to realize, how your contents provide great insight….
I must say, ma’m, you are creative and gifted.
God bless you!
You’ve truly been steadfast in visiting this blog. I know the benefits outweigh the data you spend here and pray for your limitless success in Jesus’ name..
Very thoughtful of you. I’ve also enjoyed everything I’ve read so far, especially the short stories. You have a unique way of passing your messages.
Thank you for starting up this platform. I can already imagine my growth in the next few weeks if I’m consistently studying from here. Thank you for putting all of these together, ma. You’re doing excellently well.
Thank you for the commendation. May the Lord multiply the fruits of your efforts in Jesus’ name.
This is very thoughtful of you ma
Your work is full of moral lessons to imbibe.
You’re a mother who has her children at heart.
Thank you and I’ll love that you keep it up!
Thanks a lot!:By God’s grace, I will!
This is actually my first time commenting on a blog and that was made possible because of you, ma. You are doing a unique thing by granting students a chance to learn more outside the classroom. Thank you, ma! ❤️
You’re welcome. God be praised!
What I learnt is that as mass communication student, we should willingly do exercises that will help us improve academically.
Correct.
You’re amazing, ma’am.
Thanks for this your beautiful intaitive, even if some students do not see the worth of it.
I have learnt a lot since I have visited this blog.
May God bless you abundantly.
Amen. May God bless you richly too in Jesus’ name.
When you first gave us this assignment, i felt it was just to get traffic on your blog, but so far I’ve learnt more things from this blog than in some classes.
I’d advise other students to visit here as the time we spend in the classroom is not enough to learn all this.
Thank you for your frankness.
I am happy I got to read and learn more from this blog even tho I did not want to at first. Going through it, I understand that it is indeed worth visiting. I have learnt a lot.
Glory to God!
Have learnt not to visit the blog just for my academics but to get inspirations that would help in other areas of life. Thank you so much ma.
Very thoughtful of you. I’ve also enjoyed everything I’ve read so far, especially the short stories. You have a unique way of passing your messages.
Thank you for your selflessness.
Thank you very much ma for your efforts in helping students.I on my own part learnt a lot. God bless you ma.
Ma’am I must say you are one of those few lecturers that don’t derive joy seeing your student fail. You don’t enforce your textbooks but you give us motherly push to do what is right. You put yourself in our parents shoes and that of some of us sponsoring ourselves. The way you are open about your heavenly race, I remember when you say you want to make heaven and so you won’t set hard questions and also you won’t set out of the box. Keep up the good work ma’am
One of my hobbies is writing and so I enjoy reading. When I was little I love reading anything I come across that interests me 🥰🥰
Honestly, ma I personally enjoy your blog stories, especially short stories, academic resources, guest posts and poems .
I really want to be a great writer too
You will achieve your dream as you work towards it. Just maintain your focus and practise as frequently as possible.
This is true. Students will not visit the blog unless there is something to lose. I love writing stories but I think this assignment will help me as a student to have a steady reading habit.
Thank you Aunty Edith for thinking of creating this blog. I love the way you write, so elaborate, it almost feels like you’re here talking to me in person. I’m really learning a lot from this
Truly, truly, coming to this site is not a waste. Everytime, there is always new things to learn. It’s truly for our benefit.
Thank you so much, ma!
I got cues to set up my blog site from reading your posts.
At the time you made me and my coursemates review your blog, I grumbled, until I opened, then I knew I had found a treasure.
Glory to God!