Hello guys, it's been a while. 

I have to ask you guys a favor. Recently, I found out that I didn't do as good as I hoped to do on my english provincial, an important exam that accounts in for 20% for my overall grade. It also accounts for scholarship money and universities look into these provincial marks and take it into deep consideration. Luckily though, a retake is possible, if you wish. And I'm taking that chance. I have asked others to read my narratives, and I end up receiving pretty good results. So I am quite convinced that I did poorly on compare and contrast. So, if you can read my compare and contrast composition of "Stones" by Tom Wayman and "Crow's Lake" by Larry Lawson and give me constructive criticism, that'll be very much appreciated. (Please search up these articles if you have the time! It'll be helpful in understanding the following a tad bit better.)

Provincial Practice

Compare and contrast

Articles used: “Students” by Tom Wayman and “Crow Lake” by Larry Lawson

Writing Prompt: Compare and contrast the relationships between the students and their teacher in “Students” and “Crow Lake”.

            Inevitably, teachers, despite their difficulty to do so, attempt to develop relationships between themselves and their students.  Such has been the case of Wayman, a teacher in “Students”, authored by Tom Wayman himself, and Katie, a university professor as well as a researcher of invertebrate ecology in “Crow’s Lake”, authored by Larry Lawson as well as both of their students. Though the relationship of both parties with their students have striking similarities, they also have varying differences, as will be discussed in the following.

            One characteristic both parties possess is their apparent difficulty to find a ‘common denominator’ with their students. In “Students”, one of Wayman’s students “spend her hours in class with tape recorder earphones on, silently enjoying a pleasanter world” (Line 33-35), which portrays Wayman’s inability to connect and relate to his students. In “Crow’s Lake”, Katie, whose surname has not been mentioned, directly states that “[she] finds it difficult to relate to her students” (Line 5). Though both professors express their desire to have a connection with their students, their difficulty is very much revealed, as evident in these excerpts. Pursuing this further, another striking similarity these two professors have is their trouble engaging their students in the material they lecture. In “Students”, Wayman’s lacking engagement with his students is very much evident in the following passages: “with her tape recorder earphones on, silently enjoying a pleasanter world. ‘Don’t worry, I can hear you,’ she reassured Wayman” (Line 34-37). In “Crow’s Lake”, Katie mistaken her student’s constant yawning and discloses it to “[being] chronically short of sleep” (Line 14), however, such is in relation to the lack of engagement she innovates with her students. She describes the experiences of a professor as “looking out over a sea of snoring bodies” (Line 14), although such does not have to necessarily be the experiences of a professor that fully engages his or her audience to the materials he or she presents. Finally, the last characteristic that both these professors have is their core belief that their students do not take their studies and education in a serious light. In “Students”, as further revealed by the “Vaccination Theory of Education”, that once you take a subject, you would not have to go through it again, the “Diptick Theory of Education” that indirectly states that as long as you are passing, you do not have to put in any more effort, that these students do not take their studies seriously any more than the students in “Crow’s Lake”. In “Crow’s Lake”, Katie mentions briefly her unshaken perspective of her students “not taking anything seriously” (Line 5). In the latter, the striking similarities between the relationships of the students and their teachers has been extensively disclosed.

Although both parties have numerous similarities, they are also possessing of many differences. One characteristic these parties do not have in common is the differentiating attitudes both professors harbor towards teaching. In “Crow’s Lake”, Katie discloses her strong dislike for teaching, as evident in the following: “Teaching I don’t enjoy at all” (Line 5), partly because her lack of understanding of her students and her view of “not finding them interesting and stimulating” (Line 5). However, in contrast to such, Wayman of “Students” did not necessarily express his dislike for teaching, but merely described his difficulty handling his students’ negative outlook on their studies, as expressed by “The Vaccination Theory of Education” and “The Dipstick Theory”. Following this further, the students’ from “Students” and “Crow Lake”, have contrasting views regarding their grades. In “Student”, it is quite apparent that these students are merely motivated by their grades, as expressed in the following quotes:

Wayman inscribed after each now-familiar name on the list

the traditional single letter.

And whatever pedagogical2 approach

he or the students espoused3,

Wayman knew this notation would be pored over

with more intensity than

anything else Wayman taught. (Line 40-46)

            As described by the latter, Wayman’s students merely concern themselves of the grades they receive and not necessarily what they have learned. On the other hand. The student from “Crow’s Lake” weren’t entirely motivated by their grades but instead of what they are going to learn, as evident in the following: “This lecture was their first introduction to this particular subject”, which displays their initiative to learn and get something out of her class. Lastly, there is a noticeable difference of what the students from both articles value. In “Students”, the students held the value of “once [they] have had a subject [they] are immune and never have to consider it again” (Line 13-15), as well “as long as [they] receive a pass or higher why put any more into learning?” (Line 21-22). As discussed in the latter, the students and teachers of “Students” and “Crow’s Lake” have many apparent differences.

            Although many teachers have difficulty expressing their desire to build a connection with their students, they still attempt to do so. Such had been the case for the students and their teacher in “Students”, authored by Tom Wayman, and “Crow’s Lake”, authored by Larry Lawson. Despite the striking similarities between the relationship of the students and their teachers in both passages, they had many differences as well.