Double Check

Often enough, when we get a new device, such as a phone, a game, a computer, or even a car, most of us skip the directions for use. Are we overconfident in our abilities? Do we make assumptions about how much we know?

Sometimes everything goes as planned. The phone works. We win at the game. The computer processes. The car runs smoothly. However, it can and does happen that some vital piece of information in the directions for use might have saved us time and energy if we had stopped to read it, especially when everything fails to go exactly as planned. The phone won’t store numbers. The game keeps stopping in midplay. The computer greets us with the blue screen of death. The car flashes a mysterious light on the dashboard. When a problem arises, most of us hurry to find the directions for use and start frantically turning pages.

When students are given an assignment, complete directions usually come with the assignment. It pays in the long run to double check by reading the directions more than once to determine precisely what the assignment requires. Key words can be of great help. If the instructor assigns a narrative, an analysis, or a comparison/contrast essay, it is clear that a defined type of essay is required.

If you are uncertain about what the different kinds of essays involve, do some research or ask for clarification from your instructor or a classmate. The Stone Writing Center also provides on-line handouts that are helpful (Composition).

Even when we think we know something, like whether or not a day at the beach will be sunny, it is never a bad idea to double check. Confirmation before prevents a mad dash for cover later if unanticipated rainstorms come our way.

See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! My next entry is coming soon. ‘Til then, hang ten!