Potential Difficulties
Complications can arise and teachers are encouraged to be flexible about the expectations of the partnerships. Here are some potential difficulties that have occurred in past Wildcat Writers classes:
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- Students may drop or be dropped from classes during the partnership, at which point the instructor will need to reassign partners that are left behind to other students.
- There are often more high school students than FYC students, so some students will be asked to double up. Asking for volunteers to work with more than one partner usually easily resolves this issue. It is highly recommended that teachers do not have only certain students from a section participating in Wildcat Writers, because this greatly limits the teachers' ability to build Wildcat Writers into the curriculum.
- The college teacher and high school teacher may have different teaching styles or philosophies, which could lead to miscommunication or differing expectations. Directly communicating about these matters in the beginning should help ensure greater understanding.
- Students may need to be reminded about boundaries. For example, the college students should be reminded that they are working with minors, and that invitations to parties on campus, etc., are not permitted.
- Field trips to high schools will need to be arranged by the college teacher through carpooling unless the instructor is licensed to drive a UA vehicle. The high school teacher will need to reserve buses to transport students to UA. This usually requires plenty of advance notice, and even then, unexpected events may disrupt plans if the school buses become unavailable at the last minute.
- Even with email, correspondence between students may be slower than one might expect. Again, flexibility is essential, and students should be warned at the beginning of the semester that the course schedule is subject to change.
- Some students may be inconsistent in completing assignments that are important to the partnership. Teachers need to closely monitor student participation and provide plenty of accountability.
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