The technical writing course I’m taking is supposed to teach me how to take complex information and break it down step by step, using clear, precise language that cannot possibly be misunderstood. The other day it dawned on me that that’s exactly what I have to do with Justin every single day. Detailed written instructions are the best way to get through to him, and since he takes everything so literally, you can’t have any ambiguity. No wonder I’m acing this class. Huh.

One thing that really annoys me about the online courses I’ve taken so far, though, is that no one actually teaches anything. They basically just give us an assignment and set us loose to figure it out for ourselves. (If I knew how to figure it out, I wouldn’t be taking the damn class…but whatever.) What ends up happening, of course, is the students all pool their knowledge and learn from each other, so fine. But that is one overpaid instructor. My last two assignments came back with perfect marks and not a single comment — the grades are nice, but how am I supposed to learn anything from that? Argh.