I Did It!

So, as most of you know I have had a really rocky semester with my writing teacher thus far. Professor Weitz is an accomplished criminal lawyer who, many years ago, got a minor in English. When he was hired at Cal Lu he wanted to teach law but was told that if he wanted to teach law he had to pick up a Freshman Composition class as well, so he agreed. This is the reason why I believe he hates this class so much, he simply does not want to be teaching it. Anyways, throughout the semester he kept giving me good, but never great grades on essays. I was always just shy of an A, usually stuck between 82-89, but never a 90. I found out recently he HATES giving A's to students, kinda explains it a bit. 

So recently, during an essay conference, I ask him why he dislikes my writing so much and keeps giving me bad grades. I ask this because I know I am a good writer, granted I still have much to learn, but for my grade level I am a good writer (thank you Chaminade). He said that my writing was too fancy. WHAT? He said I use too many words and I use words that are too big. In a nutshell, he wants his students to write like a lawyer, short, to the point, succinct. He doesn't want fluff or elegance or long sentences. Well, I write exactly like that, like an English major....So I have no idea what to do because I have no intention of changing my writing style to that of a lawyer. 

One of the required books this semester was Bless Me, Ultima. Any of you who went to Chaminade know that this was one of the freshman texts and I read it again in college. I remembered the book pretty well and wrote my essay on how Antonio's parents and their respective heritages confuse Antonio as a young boy and how his journey in the novel is to make both of those lineages meet within him and coexist peacefully in his future. When I went into my writing conference and got graded on it he did not like it, shocking. I got a 33/40 or an 82.5% which was the lowest grade I had gotten on a rough draft all semester. I was not pleased. SO I went home and made the changes he asked for, changed some words, fixed some grammar, adjusted my nominals and all that jazz. Then I decided I WANTED A DAMN A on this paper. So I went back and altered some structure, added some new quotes, and adjusted some of my insights. I figured it wouldn't matter all that much so I didn't give it any more thought. He takes forever to grade essays so I just got it back today and I got a frickin' 91% BOOYAH! 

I am quite pleased that I finally made him give me an A and  I am so proud of that paper it's ridiculous.