[Teaching_Composition] Agency and consequences for composition

[Kathy Fitch]

Another look at agency and consequences--long term.

Today, I was being a baseball mom, which basically means trying to learn all
the name/shirt number combinations in order to be an effective fan (because,
"Go #8!" just isn't anywhere near as good as "Awesome catch, Vince!");
fighting off the numbness that creeps in after hours of sitting on backless
metal bleachers; withstanding the anxiety of having one's child be on the
mound, in the key play, or at bat; and forging bonds with the other baseball
moms, with whom one is about to spend a whole big bunch of time, often in
challenging weather.  

So, basically I was having a good time.  One of the other baseball moms was
a student of mine in FYC about 16 or 17 years ago.  After the game (we lost,
but, as any good baseball mom will tell you, the score was no true
reflection of how well our team actually played), we chatted, and she said,
no kidding, "I remember every single day of your class, and everything we
learned helped me get through the rest of school."

So.  The kid got an RBI with a very respectable double, and I think I
somehow managed--minus bat, ball, or any baseball skill to speak of--to hit
a grand slam.  Feels like it anyway!

Sixteen years later.  Wow.  When I looked, I'm sure, quizzical, she started
ticking off lessons.  I'm floored.  This is probably the best teaching day
I've ever had. 

Sometimes the actual trumps the theoretical. 

Kathy