Q. If I email or text you, should I include a subject line out of courtesy as well?
A. Yes, please. I have MANY STUDENTS, so it's confusing if you don't clearly identify who you are and what class you are taking. For example, if you were John Smith, enrolled in my 1045-1200 ENG 100 class on Tuesday-Thursday, your subject line might look something like this:
ENG 100 T/TR 1045-1200 John Smith
In the subject line, if all you say is "Hello," or "'Sup, Mr. K," I might become confused since I teach many students, even if the gesture is pleasant.
Q. Can I email you all of my homework and essays?
A. No. I cannot handle every assignment via email. You are allowed to email the first assignment and last major paper to me for convenience, in .doc or .txt format, or even .pages format. .wps format is not allowed.
Q. What's up with this number you have, (714) 367-4861?
A. That's my GoogleVoice message box. If you use a cellphone, you can leave a message on that number and your voice message will route to my email. If you text me a message, the message will route to my email. If I hit "Reply" and reply to your voice message or email, my email will automatically route back to your cellphone. Please don't write vague and odd things like, "You up?" but clearly identify who you are.
Q. What is your preferred method of contact?
A. It depends how stuck you are. If you are very stressed out, lost and confused, seeing me in person is best. If you have a semi-personal problem or question, you should email me for privacy purposes. If you have a simple, quick question, text me via Google Voice or one of your back-channel options.
Q. What are your office hours?
A. My office hours can be found HERE. I hold them in my office or walking around Kalia Building, for exercise and fresh air, depending on your need for privacy, etc.
Q. Where are your office hours?
A. Typically, my office hours are held in Lama Library 2nd floor, near the Study Hub. Group office hours are okay with me if you have similar questions.
Q. What if I can't make those office hours exactly? What should I do?
A. You can make an appointment to see me at your convenience, during reasonable school business hours. Want to meet in the cafeteria? Fine. Want to meet in the library? Fine. Want to meet at Starbucks on campus? No can. There is no Starbucks on campus. (grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr......)
Q. Can you meet on Zoom?
A. Yes.
Q. My grammar is really problematic. What can I do?
A. When I give you back graded assignments, check out the codes that I write on your papers.
Check out the Grammar Helper websites to help figure out what the codes mean. Practice writing out the codes and the errors on a sheet of paper or a Grammar Log. This methodology is the only tried and true methodology of improving one's grammar. There are also more grammar resources out there, HERE and HERE.
Q. My vocabulary is not as strong as it could be, not really "College-level." What should I do?
A. Keep a record book of new words from A-Z. Use each word in a sentence. You will remember the word a lot better if you do.
Play vocab games, go to vocab sites, and just keep trying: LINK, LINK, LINK
Q. I don't know what the markings on my graded assignment mean. Help!
A. Symbol KEY:
√+ means that you've made a very effective point, one that is provocative and insightful.
√ means that you've made a decent point, one that stands on its own, but could still use some analysis.
√? means that more expansion is required, either via analysis or discussion, quoting, or visual inclusion.
??? means that your reader is very confused
~~~~ a squiggly line means that the grammar of the sentence needs a lot of work.
awk means that the phrasing of the written element is awkward
----> or <---- (arrows) mean that you should move elements from one place to another
"np" or "¶"means that you should make a new paragraph
( ) above two different words means you should join them together...e.g. fore( )fathers.
[ ] above one word means you should split them apart...e.g. Spider[ ]man------> Spider-Man
[ x ] means you should remove an element
[ 1 A ] means you made a weak SV pairing, such as [I think], [I feel], or [I believe.]
all other numeric codes can be found on the Grammar Helper site.
Q. What are the guidelines for my papers like?
A. In general, your papers should be typed and double-spaced, preferably in black ink. All other parameters can be found on my Style Sheet.
Q. Do you take off points for late papers? What are the penalties?
A. Yes, I do take off points for late papers. The penalties are 10% if the paper is relatively late (1-2 class sessions), and 20% or more for exceptionally late papers (more than 1 week). If the writing content in the paper is genius or provocative, I may choose to exercise my own judgment and thereby waive applicable late penalties. For more on Grading, click on the link, HERE.*. The late paper cap is 20 percent, which is generous and fair.
Q. (follow-up) What happens if my essay or homework is EXTREMELY late? Should I even bother turning it in?
You should turn it in. You might still get credit for it. Late work is penalized 10 % every legal class day that it is late (excluding weekends). If a grade is deserving of an A+ gets turned in three days late, then it usually becomes a B+ grade. There are exceptions to this, especially when the assignment is exceptionally well-written. If your piece is very strongly-written, a borderline masterpiece, then I may waive the late penalty. If the work is sloppy, looks like it was written hastily, or simply reflects little effort, then the late penalty applies. Late homework cannot be revised. Missing a draft is not a good idea, because you will potentially lose valuable peer or instructor feedback. You will receive a permanent (-6) of your final grade for the assignment for missing a draft/conference day. In this case, the top grade the paper can possibly receive for two missing drafts is an 88 B+. Hail Mary-style essays, e.g. essays that get turned in at the end of the semester--those do not tend to do well nor pass the course.
Q. Deal with me straight up. What do I need to pass this class?
To pass this class, you MUST complete all major assignments and final exam at a C-level grade (70+). You cannot do some of the essays, then skip the last one. The department sets these major assignments as course competencies, so skipping one or more indicates a failure in completing the competencies. COME TO CLASS REGULARLY. People who skip class have a tendency to miss out on important lectures and exercises. You should also do your homework consistently. I have had students who didn't do an OUNCE of homework, and even though they did the major assignments passably well, they failed my course. All in all, DO THE WORK, and DO IT WELL. If you skip class, you will not receive any Snape Secrets (tm). If you have less than 5 absences, I will bump up your final portfolio grade by 15 points; if you have perfect attendance, I will bump up your final portfolio grade by 20 points.
Q. Do you have a strict attendance policy? Do I flunk after three absences? What does attendance have to do with those feedback cards or sign in sheets?
My attendance policy is not such that I flunk you for not attending, but I can tell you that attendance plays a crucial role in your success in this class. I do not flunk you after you miss three classes or if you have eight tardies, etc., but participation in class and writing in-class exercises amounts to 10 to 15 percent of your overall course grade. If you skip class routinely, you are probably impairing your chances at getting a higher grade in my class. If 50-60 percent of your grade is locked up in the essays and you neglect the other 40 percent of the class (homework, participation, final assignment, etc.), then it's logical that you attend to the other 40 percent as well. Infrequent attendance usually indicates that a student will not PASS the class. My feedback cards or in-class assignments are not designed to keep watch over who is tardy or absent--they are meant to give you a voice and means of communicating with me, especially for those of you who might not want to ask certain questions in front of other students.
Q. (follow-up) My work schedule sucks. I have to prioritize my work over my schoolwork. What am I going to do?
The best you can do is at least to LET ME KNOW what's going on. If you disappear and don't say a word to me about things that are happening in my life, I cannot be FLEXIBLE. I like being FLEXIBLE. I may not be able to give you extensions on your work in an effort to be FAIR to the other students, but at least I'll be aware of what's going on with you and your life. I would prefer it if you CAME TO CLASS RATHER THAN SKIPPING because skipping the content sections of the class will make you feel more lost.
Q. You have this weird revision policy. What is it, and how does it relate to late essays?
You can REWRITE every MAJOR essay for this class, TWO TIMES provided that you meet the following criteria: 1) the paper is turned in ON-TIME, 2) you TRY to meet with me at least ONCE to discuss how to improve your essay, 3) you make significant changes to the paper (not just simple grammar and style errors). You get the higher of the two grades (they are not averaged together). In other words, if your revised essay deserves a 99 instead of a 65, I will give you what you deserve--you'll get the 99. If your essay is late, say, if you procrastinate and turn it in a month late, your grade may stand, or will receive a permanent late penalty.
Q. (follow-up) Why make this revision policy? Most teachers don't allow us to revise and if they do, they give us the averaged grade. Why such a liberal revision policy?
Life is about REVISION. Revision means that we look again at ourselves and our efforts, checking and double-checking if we 1) worked hard on something, 2) if we could do better on that something. I think we can ALWAYS improve, and I am willing to reward you for such efforts.
Q. Do you give extra credit?
Yes. You can earn extra credit (only to HW points) by writing up Summary and Opinions of scholastic events such as lectures, plays, poetry readings, or other performances of an educational nature. You probably won't earn the equivalent of a full homework assignment (I usually give 10 Homework points for extra credit), but it's still worth something in terms of your homework grade for this class. Your summary and opinion should be interesting. You should tell us what you saw or experienced, and provide us with a deep analysis with what you got out of the performance. Here's an example of a poor extra-credit assignment: "Yeah, I went to this poetry reading. It was lame. I drank coffee and fell asleep, then I went home. The end." You probably won't receive any extra credit for such a Summary and Opinion.
Q. If I plagiarize, do I flunk?
A. If you 1) buy a paper, 2) rip off a quote from Wikipedia or the 'Net or use CHATGPT or another AI-style generative writing creator to make the paper for you, 3) have someone else write the paper for you, 4) reuse an old paper without altering the content significantly, 5) copy from another student, 6) do not significantly paraphrase the quoted material well in your own words, you have two chances in the course. During the first occurrence of plagiarism, you receive an "F" for the assignment and you discuss the infraction with me. During the second occurrence of plagiarism, you fail the course. Repeat offenses may result in the filing of a "Student of Concern Form" as well as disciplinary action with the Vice-Chancellor of Student Affairs.
I routinely check your paper for plagiarism using a computer anti-plagiarism checker, so it's probably best to just be honest and to use in-text citations, as found in the sample MLA and APA papers.
For more about AI usage, clink on THIS LINK.
Q. I am a shy student. I'm not used to asking for help from my teachers. / I am afraid or ashamed of asking for help. What should I do?
No big deal. It might take you some time to become less shy. However, one of the greatest indicators of college success is a willingness on the part of students to actively solicit help when they need it. Word of mouth via students is often flawed: "Hey, did you do that reading response? Yeah, I think it's supposed to be 8 pages in length!?" If you are really frightened of having individual conference hours with me, you can set up a blog account and leave me messages, or email me on a confidential basis. The blog/back-channel is the preferable method, because I don't enjoy having my email inbox filled to an extreme degree.
Q. I need extra help with my paper but I want a writing tutor to look at it or something like that. What should I do?
A. You should probably go to STUDY HUB TUTORING which your tuition paid for; additionally, check out all the Mentoring/Tutoring resources on campus. With TUTOR.COM or STUDYHUB TUTORING, you can have many different essays looked at. I will give you extra-credit for taking this step.
Also, you can get your paper looked at at the TRIO OFFICE (ILIAHI 113) if you qualify for tutoring, or can receive tutoring if you are in other specialist programs.
To connect with an ONLINE, Tutor.com tutor, you would need to login to myuhportal and look under "Tools."
Q. I can't finish the class. Someone got sick / died / Work is just too demanding. Should I stick it out?
You should do your best, but need to make that decision by yourself and for yourself. I do not negotiate in this manner: "If I do this ..... can I pass with a ___grade____?" I do not possess psychic powers to predict if and when you have or will complete work.
If you DO NOT withdraw from the course by (the final day to withdraw from full semester classes, presumably late MARCH in Spring and late October in Fall) and you REMAIN in my roster at the end of the semester without doing the work, I have to give you a failing grade of "F." No-shows at KCC (people who NEVER attended class or people who steadily disappear from class) are given F's. My bottom line is this: If you can't complete the work to a level that is satisfactory to me or to you, then you should withdraw before the deadline. A "W" grade does not negatively impact your G.P.A.. An "F" certainly does. If you are getting "D's" on all your late work and essays, then you should probably withdraw. If, on the other hand, you are earning "A's" on everything and still managing to balance the demands of work and family with school, stay in the class. I'm sorry I can't give you a more definitive answer...but that's how it is. Your decision to attend this class and withdraw from this class if need be is your kuleana and it is completely your decision, not mine.
Q. I didn't do my homework/read my book/do my draft/am not prepared. Should I just skip class and save you and my classmates the trouble?
A. Nope. PLEASE COME TO CLASS INSTEAD OF SKIPPING. You may miss out on crucial "SECRETS," handouts, or even snacks. Plus, you'll just be digging yourself a bigger hole in the long term, a hole that takes a lot more effort to get out of since presumably, assignments will have piled up in the interim. If you miss both peer-editing days, expect to lose around 20% to each essay's final grade. Strong peer-editing, after all, represents strong soft-skills acquisition.
Q. What is Service-Learning? Do I get something if I do Service-Learning?
A. Service-Learning is volunteering at one of our 50+ Community Service partners Students who participate in the required S-L hours per a semester of volunteerism that complements subject material and who show me 1) service learning log book; 2) service learning reflection journal; 3) service learning final essay will A) waive the potential Final Exam requirement in the course + B) receive 10% bonus points to be applied to the TW grade. Students may ‘piggy-back’ service learning credit from another course, provided that they certify their involvement as discussed above. If there is no Final Exam in the course, 10% bonus will be applied to the TW (major essay grade).
Q. Do you have any life advice, such as "How do I become successful?"
A. All I can say is this: "How you define success, be careful you must, young Padawan."
Also, students typically do well when they have a long term plan and the GRIT (determination and sticktuitiveness) to get there. I highly encourage you to visit the Maida Kamber Center so that you can identify potential major and career pathways that can help you set long term goals. Personally, the students who tend to know very clearly, "WHO AM I?" and "WHERE DO I WANT TO GO?" and who are long-term goal-oriented seem to struggle less.
Q. (follow-up) Enough with your Yoda-speak. I'll rephrase. How do I become a "successful student?"
A. Successful students tend to delay their immediate gratification, living by the mantra, "Work hard, [then] play hard," not the other way around, or "Play hard" only. Imagine you just bought the newest version of Grand Theft Auto. Instead of unwrapping it and playing it nonstop for the next 3 days, do you finish your paper first and then reward yourself by playing up until you purchase your first safehouse?
Q. Mr. K, so what's your bottom line? It's hard to figure teachers out, how they think, how they see the world? What is your bottom line when it comes to my education?
This is my bottom line: I try to be flexible while demanding excellence from you. I know it's hard to be a college student, and I know it's hard to be a college student eating ramen, making ends meet, feeding crying kids, getting called in at short notice to work overtime, dealing with personal and familial drama, just doing one's best to get through a hard day's work. At the same time, if I gave you an A for shoddy work, an A that you didn't deserve, even an A you know you didn't work hard enough for, then I wouldn't be able to look myself in the mirror and say, "Kubota, you helped somebody today." I feel I help people when I can be HONEST and PROUD of you when you've earned that A, not when I gave you an A out of pity or charity. Your education is a privilege and a responsibility--the HEART of... kuleana,...and as such, I give good grades as a mark of your TRUE efforts as a scholar and individual. In the rather blunt words of poet Taylor Mali, "How dare you waste my time with anything LESS than your best."
Also, I strongly believe in being 'friendly,' but not necessarily in being 'your friend.' The latter impedes the clear and effective delivery of course content, which is my job. Lots of noob teachers try way too hard to be your friend, but do not deliver on teaching you any valuable skills/techniques.
Q. OMG, Mr. Asian Snape! I have so much frickin' drama! How can I deal with all this non-school drama that is affecting my ability to handle school!?
A. Life is a dramatic battle and game. Nonetheless, use the resources available to strategize an appropriate response to your drama.
A1. I can't pay for school! -----> SCHOLARSHIPS and FINANCIAL AID
A2. I supah stressed! --------> COUNSELING and MEDITATION and EXERCISE
A3. I don't have proper study skills! ---> WEBSITE
A4. Research is tough!---------------> Research Librarians
A5. I am rudder-less and direction-less-----> Maida Kamber Center
A6. I am lonely and want to meet other students!----> RIO's and OSA
A7. I'm really stuck in your class ------------------> Office Hours
Q. I feel like giving up | I bit off more than I can handle | I want out of your [expletive] class | College just isn't for me at this time. | I'd rather focus on my babe/gaming/car/work/family/drama/something else.
A. First of all, college is not a race. ENG 100 and W.I. courses are not designed to be simplistic courses where one shows up, smiles, and gets an A. Pace yourself and ready yourself for battle.
STEP ZERO: Consider our school's motto, Kulia i ka nu'u, Strive for the Highest. Look at the last grade sheet you received. Are you missing every assignment? A few? Assess your current situation. Ultimately, whether or not to stick it out--that's entirely your decision. Will I be supportive of whatever decision you make? Of course. Come talk story and discuss your course progress.
STEP ONE: Don't feel bad. I bear no ill feelings to any of my students who end up not passing the course. Many times, the stress of balancing work and school, relationships and school, paying rent and school, raising kids and school�it all just gets so overwhelming. If you do in fact drop my class, I hope all the best for you and hope you will prosper in another English course or retake this one in the future. Please don't spit in my beverages or food. If you want advice about which ENG teacher matches your learning style better, just ask.
STEP TWO: Talk to your teacher about your prospects in the course, no shame. Talk to your counselor about soft-skills/real-world issues affecting your academic studies. Talk to your parents about career options that lie outside of the world of academia. (#successisntonlydefinedbygettingadegree) Assess a seriously 'big' question: "Do I really want this?"
STEP THREE: Consider changing your grade options.
If you plan on trying to get a CR/NC grade (credit-no credit), you must initiate that procedure by filling out a form at Ilima 101. Ask the staffpeople for a Change of Grade form.
If you plan on withdrawing from the course, you need the same form. After the CR/NC/W deadline (typically April in Spring and October in Fall), you need my signature and my department chair's signature to change grading formats. Changing your grade format is almost always better than receiving an "F" grade for the course unless your counselor indicates that you must have A-F letter grading for your requirements.
After the CR/NC/W deadline, if you are still enrolled as an A-F student but stop attending, your most likely grade is an "F," which will always affect your GPA/scholarships/etc.
STEP FOUR: Plan things better next time.
Get a scholarship so you don't need to work so much. Make better use of your time. To me, however, the #1 secret is asking yourself to do a post-mortem of the semester. Take stock of things you did well, things you need to improve upon. Write up an action plan. Execute.
STEP FIVE: Ask for help and keep in touch.
I almost dropped out of college my first semester, mainly because of the culture shock, mild alienation, and adjustment issues. (and I really missed Zippy's) Ask your trusted friends and teachers and counselors advice about how you can do better next semester. If you continue to isolate yourself and suffer in silence, you might make the same ol' mistakes.
Q. You seem super shy, Mr K. Sometimes, especially outside of class, I notice you don't make as much direct eye contact or smile every two seconds like a seedy multi-level marketer or cult recruiter. What's up with that?
A. Being raised as an introverted only child and perhaps being raised Asian, such behaviors might be culturally-driven. Your teachers are perfectly capable of being introverted, shy people who can "perform" for an audience when called upon to do so during class�then we can 'ham' it up. Please don't take it personally. I take awhile to warm up to people, so I appreciate it when you break the ice, too. (Ask many of your teachers who are natural introverts--they expend so much energy into performing on the classroom stage that they are completely drained and exhausted offstage because of it, which is why teachers drink a lot of coffee)
Q. I know I haven't attended for 5-7 weeks. If I do every one of my assignments by the end of the semester, and throw you all of my assignments akin to a "Hail Mary" football, can I still pass?
A. I need to see the work to make this determination. Please use your own Assignment Calculator to factor in deductions, etc., to see if passing is still a possibility. Cross-check with me as to what your current cumulative score is. In most cases, historically however, no, such a Hail Mary throw never works. (Are you Marcus Mariota?)
Q. How come you don't use Lamakū?
A. I like open-source venues that students already use, like Google, Blogger, etc. (and after you graduate, you'll never use Laulima again) Plus, I like the fact that most of these sites don't require a complicated login. Also, Laulima slows down a bit during heavy traffic times or during firmware updates.
Q. I am an excellent writer and I demand an "A" in class because I paid good tuition money for my education. What gives?
A. Unfortunately, this is not the Starbucks morning coffee line. Certainly, you would like your education the same way you like your coffee: hot, fast, cheap. Nonetheless, nothing in life worth having works like that. All of the hard work you invest in cannot really have a pricetag. Our increasingly consumerist society often makes delayed gratification impossible, so just do your best and work harder.
Q. You wear a lot of black clothing. Is that because you think you're a goth or something?
A. Nope. I am a messy eater and I like Italian food, especially pizza. Black allows me to hide the tomato sauce stains a bit more. I like EBM music and techno, which is a wayward cousin of goth/emo, so possibly. Plus, I like Hot Topic and the 80's.
Q. What's up with all the German or Italian techno-trance crap you are playing?
A. I teach a lot of afternoon classes and I need a way to amp myself up.
Q. What is the classroom policy on disruptions?
A. According to the Student Conduct Code, disruption is broad, but includes physical and verbal threat, sexual harassment, discriminatory speech against LGBTIQ populations, in class intoxication of alcohol or drugs, etc. In such cases, you may be asked to leave the classroom. In the case of your cellphone ringing, even if you should already have it on Airplane Mode and it still rings, I prefer that you go outside to talk with the person who called you. Texting in-class results in participation point loss.
Q. I can't put my finger on it, but I cannot concentrate or I simply cannot read the text correctly.
A. Some students have an undiagnosed form of ADHD or dyslexia, but they never have self-disclosed this fact or investigated this for themselves, thereby affecting their ability to do well in an academic context, in which paying attention and reading texts are useful soft-skills. You may want to receive assistance at the DSSO office.
For other students, probably the best advice is to 1) set aside a time and place for studying where you are unlikely to be distracted by other obligations and people's drama.
Q. Such and such teacher does this _________ in their ENG course. Such and such teacher doesn't do this ________ like how you do it. Explain.
A. Part of the intriguing game of college is learning and adapting to different teachers' styles and methodologies--pretty much the same interesting game that you would find dealing with most any individual in the world: some stuff you will loathe, some stuff you will appreciate. Teachers are human beings first and foremost, just as flawed, just as scared, just as hopeful