Summary Of Challenging Times By Friedman

As our world evolves, other things evolve along with it. In “This Way for Vampires: Teaching First- Year Composition in “Challenging Times,” written by Sandie Friedman. Friedman is a first- time composition professor who likes to teach outside the box. Friedman and Kassner argue about pop-culture (Harry Potter, Vampires, etc.) in the composition setting. After reading over Kassner’s beliefs, he believes that composition should be taught about pure traditional writing. He also disagrees with allowing students to write about pop-culture. Friedman, on the other hand, likes incorporate pop-culture in her classroom. She likes her students to express themselves as well as learn how to write effectively in the classroom. She wants her students to be able to write about interesting topics
According to Friedman, “Although it may be limited students should sometimes be allowed to make a choice in the coursework they are required to do” (79). Giving students the opportunity to write about a topic that interest them could make them feel more comfortable about writing. Freshmen often stress over their work because they want to succeed in life but allowing them to write about topics that they are acquainted with, could possibly relieve some of the stress.
When writing about interesting topics it gives students the chance to express themselves through their writing unlike traditional writing. Friedman says, “To put it bluntly, not all students will be interested in researching writing itself, and engagement is essential to learning; if students are not interested, even the soundest pedagogy is of no use” (81). Allowing students to connect to their writing could make them work and think more about what they are writing. If students are not involved in their writing it can cause them to possibly lose interest in the class, possibly make them not try, or possibly even