A month into the semester, all of us are discovering how early 8:00 a.m. is, so let me take this opportunity to gently remind you about the importance of coming to class — and arriving on time — each week. I realize this is a one-credit course, and I’m doing my best to keep your workload manageable, but you need to be present (in body and in mind) with me on Wednesday mornings.

During Week 5, we’ll wrap up our work on the official graduation checklist for the English Department, then begin thinking about your professional online portfolios. Before you come to class, you should complete the last component of your department portfolio: the “Showcase on Growth.” This part of your portfolio should include “an early and final draft of an essay or project, which are annotated to show areas of growth,” along with “a 300­–500 word reflection that compares the two drafts, focusing on how both the essay/project and you as an student/author/critic developed throughout the process of completing the assignment.” Please upload your documents and your reflection to your shared Google Drive folder so I can review them after class.

During class, we will review several effective models of professional portfolios, which will help you find some inspiration for your own public portfolio. You’ll spend the rest of the semester building that portfolio, but we’ll take it slowly — one small step each week.

If you’d like to meet with me to review the materials in your department portfolio, just let me know. Otherwise, good luck assembling your Showcase on Growth!