Advice: drifting is fine

Assignment: Using examples from your reading, explain the difference between a narrative and informative essay.

Student response: A narrative essay is more like a story or an event that you remember. You can drift from topic to topic as long as it has a connection in some way.  If you do this then your essay should come out fine.

We sitting in class

Assignment: Narrative Essay. Write a story about your life.

Student response: We sitting in class and the teacher are explaining that there will be two parts to the test a verbal and written.

Who will care and do more

Assignment: Explain how a writer considers his/her audience using examples from the reading.

Student response: How a writer chooses an auidence is who will listen more. The writer goes on and tries to find people who will care and do more after reading the ad.

I can't believe I forget that

Assignment: Narrative Essay. Write a story about your life.

Student response: He had rice krispies treat in his had where his mom wrote "you were born ready". This made me think back on one of my I can't believe I forget that kind of memories.

The Shinning

Assignment: Narrative Essay. Write a story about your life.

Student response: I will never forget the day I got my first cell phone. I was 16 years old, obviously still in high school, although those were extactly my "shinning" years, and had recently got my license.

The bacon is over there

I teach English 101 at a community college. For years I've tried to explain to people what it's like to teach this class. Only those who have done it will understand.

So, in order to maintain my sanity, I will provide you, my humble readers, with samples from actual students' essays, quizzes and writing. Never, ever, will I reveal who wrote them or provide a long enough example to trace this back to the student. This is not meant to humiliate. It's meant as a coping mechanism, a way for me to maintain my sanity and share with the world some of the best and some of the worst. 

Below might be the best answer I've ever received on a grammar quiz. And he even got it right. 

Grammar Quiz

Question 1: Use the word there correctly in a sentence.

Student answer: The bacon is over there.