DNR: Do Not Resuscitate, a Teacher’s Tale of Folly

I kicked them out.

They didn’t believe me. They stared blankly at me, not moving, not even daring to look me in the face.

I said, “Seriously, you can go.”

Get out.

I can do that because I teach college. I can stop class at any moment. Cease and desist.

It’s not a hard assignment, but they have to give a short presentation in front of the class.

The learning objective is persuasion, understanding and implementing the three primary rhetorical appeals: pathos, logos, ethos.

In small groups, they have to come up with a proposal for a business or nonprofit, and present their idea to a group of angel investors in the hopes that their project will be funded.

My two other classes did brilliantly with the same prompt and project. Half of the projects, I am sure, would be easily funded by a group of investors.

Really good ideas.

Persuasive presentations appealing on multiple levels. Emotional stories. Professional testimony. Craftily constructed.

Really impressive work.

I left each of these classes impressed with what students are able to produce if given the autonomy to actually think for…