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http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/shloshim/

http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/shloshim/

God Doesn't Live at Our House Anymore by Charlotte Clear- Back Cover

This is the book jacket photo for my memoir What Remains. An adaptation of the memoir is being produced as a play entitled "And She Was There"

Check out the blog site goddoesntliveatourhouseanymore.wordpress.com

Operation Embrace 2012

MOVIE.m4v

What It Takes Out of Me To Teach Freshman College Writing as an Adjunct Professor

Happy New Year Class! Again, I want to congratulate all of you on your portfolios, which were excellent, and many of you received A's, even if your work this semester was previously graded as B's or C's. You can pick up your portfolios in the Adjunct Faculty office in the Hutzinger Building, Room  136.Remember that I told you that 1500, Experiences in Literature, would be harder than 1100. I say that based on my experience teaching 1500 at MSU, not WPU. I have found that students struggle with writing about literature more than writing about non-fiction essays. So below you will find some advice, and some anonymous lines from your portfolio's that made me happy. I want to thank Austin for helping me make this video, which I am attaching. Now you know I am not good at technology, so if it doesn't work, let me know, and I will try to disseminate it some other way. These are your words. Now that you have found them, I expect you to use them. I also wanted to mention that I noticed that two of my favorite Professors, Dr. Chris Weaver, and Dr. Phil Cioffari, are teaching 1500. I know several of you tried to register for my 1500-26 section on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11-12:15, and you told me the class was full. I would have loved the chance to work with you for a full year, rather than just one semester, but I wanted to let you know that if you happen to have Dr. Weaver or Dr. Cioffari, you are in wonderful hands. I have not taken a class with the other professors, so they are probably great also. So here are my final words, mi gente:Professor Levine's pet peeves:1. Lack of synonyms/repetition- remember to use the thesarus function under Tools in the drop down menu in Word. Essays should use more sophisticated vocabulary than what we speak.2. Avoid the verb "get". Writing is a special occasion of language; it should not sound as if we were speaking, the vocabulary must be sophisticated.3. Writers don't speak or talk; they analyze, suggest, discuss, present, hypothesize, argue, propose, state, explore, etc etc etc. Use the thesarus!4. Avoid the passive voice. Life is not a passive project; it demands action verbs, preferably in the present tense.
5. Get rid of clutter in your writing. When you can find one word instead of eight, do it!6. Introductory and concluding paragraphs should be five sentences, unless you write for the New York Times and you are consciously making a stylistic choice to not do so.7. What is your thesis statement? Can I find it? Do I have to play hide and go seek to uncover it? This will make your professors, regardless of discipline, extremely unhappy.
8. Do you provide three solid arguments (also called evidence or warrants, depending on who is the professor?)9. Are your arguments sound, i.e. backed up with data or quotes from the original text? Or is this your personal opinion with no statistics or quotes to prove your thesis?10. How are your transitions? Do they introduce the next paragraph? Are they smooth? Does the organization of paragraphs flow logically or poetically?11. Someone, everyone, nobody,everybody etc. is SINGULAR. Look at the last word, also called suffix, ONE and BODY. Someone is not paying attention. Subject/verb agreement!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!12. Pronoun agreement!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!13. Point of view. Pick a pronoun and stick to it!!!! Most professors like third person singular- HE, SHE, ONE etc.14. Review MLA citations for Works Cited formatting and How to Integrate Quotes, both under Unit 4 course materials. This is an ongoing issue that you will need to remember as you go into 1500.15. The comma is your friend, and there is beauty in the semi-colon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Each professor will have his or her pet peeves, the aforementioned 15 are mine. Each professor will approach grading based on what is his or her priority in terms of what he/she believes is the most important skill(s) to improve your writing. For example, transitions, formatting, counterarguments, quoting sources might be the most important criteria for Professor A, whereas my focus was on teaching you how to find, craft and support your thesis statement and make a convincing argument. As a poet, every word counts, and I want your writing to be beautiful, powerful, and moving. If I had a PhD in Rhetoric, (the study of writing), I might prioritize warrants, MLA formatting, analyzing rhetorical styles etc. etc. Both academic paradigms are equally valid. If on the syllabus, you see that your new professor is a Dr. XXX and nor Professor XXX, it is reasonable to assume that citation and formatting and research will weigh heavily in how your work is received. Justifiably so.Ok, here are some of the highlights from your portfolios: "Although my work likely aren't the strongest one's you'll read, hard work was still put into them. I'm not alone in saying this class was very helpful and that it has helped us to grown not only in our writing, but AS PEOPLE TOO." grammar errors galore, but COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF MY GOALS IN DESIGNING THE COURSE THE WAY I DID."Some common issues I had in my entire four essays were point of view, repetition of words, long paragraphs, commas, awkward phrasing, sentence structure, transitions, strong introductory and concluding sentences". Extra credit: how many of my 15 pet peeves did this student learn to address in her writing?"Being a writer can be hard, but it's worth it as you make it meaningful" THAT MADE PROFESSOR LEVINE VERY HAPPY!"Now when I'm writing future essays, I could always refer back to my peer reviews and professors comments" (No apostrophes!! But, by far the prettiest portfolio, and the student who best understood the value of peer review. YOU MUST TAKE PEER REVIEW SERIOUSLY! IF A CLASSMATE SUBMITS A FIRST DRAFT AND YOU, AS A REVIEWER, CAN'T FIND THE THESIS STATEMENT, CHANCES ARE, IT ISN'T THERE. DON'T JUST SAY THESIS STATEMENT NEEDS WORK, OR IS WEAK, TRY TO PUSH YOURSELF TO USE YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND SUGGEST HOW THIS DRAFT COULD BE IMPROVED. I GAVE GRADES FOR YOUR PEER REVIEW OF OTHER STUDENT'S WORK BECAUSE I WANTED YOU TO UNDERSTAND HOW IMPORTANT REVISION IS AND I WANTED YOU TO TAKE IT SERIOUSLY. I DOUBT YOU WILL GET A GRADE ON YOUR PEER REVIEW WORK NEXT SEMESTER, BUT AS A COURTESY AND RESPONSIBILITY TO YOUR CLASSMATES, DO NOT PRETEND AN ESSAY IS STRONG IF IT IS WEAK. I KNOW YOU DON'T WANT TO HURT ANYONE'S FEELINGS, BUT CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM COULD MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN SOMEONE ELSE'S GRADE."Levine puts a lot of time and effort correcting our papers, which helped me write papers that have a clear message and better vocabulary." TELL ME ABOUT IT. IF I HAVE TO PULL AN ALL NIGHTER TO GET YOUR SECOND DRAFTS BACK TO YOU, OR TO SUBMIT GRADES, YOU CAN PULL AN ALL NIGHTER IMPROVING YOUR ESSAYS AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, MAKING DEADLINES! COLLEGE IS THE TIME OF YOUR LIFE WHEN YOU ARE YOUNG ENOUGH TO STAY UP ALL NIGHT. IT IS MUCH HARDER WHEN YOU ARE MY AGE. IF I CAN DO IT, YOU CAN TO. OF COURSE, IF YOU DON'T PROCRASTINATE, YOU DON'T HAVE TO STAY UP ALL NIGHT."I have learned a lot throughout the semester that has definitely made a positive impact on my writing as long as a positive impact on my education." That should be the goal of every class: to improve your critical thinking skills and make you a more well- rounded student and citizen."I would recommend this course, specifically this instructor, to anyone who meets the requirements." I liked this concluding sentence to the Writer's Memo because it is a question I wrestle with. Should all incoming freshmen take college writing, or should some students take an introductory class that focuses on grammar and basic writing skills, rather than asking students who are not academically prepared for college writing to meet a standard they cannot reach, not because they are not capable, but because they have not been taught the nuts and bolts of college level writing. Don't have the answer to this one; it is what we call a "rhetorical question.""I want to conclude by expressing my gratitude to such an amazing instructor, Professor Levine. You have helped me improve my writing skills a great deal." My response: Then why didn't you come to class more often. LOL. I don't teach for the money, the glory or the power. I teach because of you. If you need me next semester, I will be in Raubinger 203, Tuesdays and Thursdays 11-12:15. Feel free to come by at THE END OF CLASS.I am attempting to attach two files, the video, and a personal essay or editorial I wrote on vacation. It is not an argumentative, thesis-driven essay. Nonetheless, there is a thesis. Can you find it? I will give you a hint. It is where you would least expect it.Good luck next semester. Go into all of your classes with the following attitude: I may not like this course, but I am going to learn something anyway.We have come to know one another (SINGULAR). You probably realize that I am not a religious person. Nonetheless, in Judaism, it teaches that if I save one person, I have saved the world. Therefore (transition, moving from one sentence to the next), I want you to be awake, cognizant, and engaged. I want you to be able to recognize injustice and realize that you, as a person, can help others who are suffering. You have that power. Now you have the words you need to do something about it. If you can save one person, or help one person, than you have made the world a better place, even if as a writer you receive a "C" as a grade.I also encourage all of you to think about taking Creative Writing. My understanding is that it is a Writing Intensive Course. It is a different kind of writing. It is my favorite class to teach. Find the undergraduate literary journal, Zietgeist, google the definition if you don't know it. Think about submitting your work. Everyone of us has a story to tell that is unique and valuable. Use your words, share your poetry, fiction or personal essay, and know that your experience can help someone else. Find whatever it is that gives your life meaning and never let it go.
 Be well. Elizabeth Levine.

I am attaching a video we made in class. Hopefully it goes through; without Austin, I may have screwed it up. Your grades will be posted to blackboard tonight or tomorrow.                

Rabbi Buchdahl at White House Chanukah Party (Dec 17 2014)