Aspiring Spirit

Having had the opportunity of being an educator for almost thirty years, and involved in teaching for more than 3 decades. During that time period I have taught elementary, teens, college preparatory and most recently at the college level. For me, it was a constant challenge keeping lessons fun, interactive and rewarding for each learner. As my lessons focused on older learners, making the gradual change from young to older, I noticed a consistent issue that each generation of kids became nearly terrified by: how to write a research paper.

Initially, I thought nothing of the reaction I received when asking for research papers to be completed. At first, I simply defined the usual groaning as a student’s distaste in my love for take home work. But, what I was dismissing and defining as being disgruntled, actually had much more depth; these students were sometimes downright unnerved when they heard the word “research paper”.

Worry about the unknown, being buried in dusty books, and not having a clue how to brainstorm research paper ideas was frequent. older teens envisioning a brick wall to climb, because they didn’t know how to write a research paper, rarely truly believed me that in the wider scope of things, completing an essay, even one that was very lengthy, was barely a grain of sand on a beach, compared to much more significant, life impacting decisions they’d eventually face as full fledged adults. Those ideas fell on deaf ears much of the time.

Unable to look towards the bigger picture or the long overall result, their immediate reality was a looming turn-in date that could only be met by participating in an activity they weren’t interested in, that conflicted with their social life or that made them uneasy facing the unknown: how to write a research paper, and do it right - not just to pass or fail, but measure up to the criteria that high schools, universities, colleges and graduate schools, both public and private, hold in high value.

When I first began teaching at the university level I planned to give a full term assignment to write a research paper on a(n) topic of every individual’s most passionate pursuit.

The dean of our department warned me that this would cause me more trouble than it was worth. He said that even at a university level, simply hearing that you have to write a research paper usually sent many students into a downward spiral.

Determined, I ignored his best intentions and ventured into research paper neverland. The first class of the semester I handed out the curriculum for the class. This included the name of the course textbook, test dates and the expectation that everyone would write a research paper.

I explained that the tests as well as the participation in class confabs would be a majority of the semester grade and the research paper would be the other 33%. I handed out time lines and deadlines for the paper. I wanted the topic they chose as well as a rough draft completed in the first 14 days and then various progress reports throughout the semester.

My agenda and execution of my set calendar dates “forced” the paper to be done in small chunks, rather than the typical giant one, when many students, kids or adults, sit down the night before and try to accomplish a mammoth amount worth of work in one marathon of study. Unnecessary tension and anxiety in my way of thinking. And with the framework of how to effectively write a research paper tackled in small chunks throughout the class, semester or year depending on course and / or school, initial stress about even the most simple undertaking, research paper ideas, seemed less and less a big deal.

Whether narrowing down a long catalog of passages formatted neat and succinctly summarizing research paper ideas, writing each necessary ingredient, keeping each research paper properly formatted for a teacher who was known to be extremely precise about such particulars, or pacing themselves to guarantee assignment completion by the turn-in date, when deconstructed into smaller pieces, how to write a research paper concerns slowly, but surely disappear. Watch for for the up and coming article: Research Paper Ideas, the Easy Way - And avoiding the panic.

Thanks to an up and coming series of reports in regards to how to write a research paper but missing all too common fears, instructor Ronald Smithers delivers the realization he got from his teaching days. Next , Research Paper Ideas - The Easy Way, on the the website students have taken advantage of and that hands over free stuff to college students, and helps you tap into money with government student loan consolidation.

- Jackie Black