Evergreen (The Evergreen State College, where I am currently taking classes) is sort of an odd place. Walking onto campus is like walking into the Sixties, but with computers. Or something like that. The place gives the phrase "liberal arts" a whole new meaning. After being on campus for a while, you might be surprised that the buildings don't all lean a little to the left. Or a lot to the left. It can get to be disconcerting for the occasional Conservative Christian type who wanders in out of the cold; for a tree-hugger like me, it is simply exhilarating.

Anyway, Evergreen doesn't "do" grades. Students are evaluated--by their instructors, and worst of all, by themselves. Self-evaluations are hard. At least, I find them so. It is interesting to see what the instructors have to say, although most of mine have been pretty brief. I just got my latest evaluation, though, and I was both pleased and surprised by what she had to say. If asked to describe myself, "powerful personal presence" are not words that would have come to mind. I did think that I did a very good job as Clytemnestra--but I wasn't so sure that anyone else would think so. Anyway, here's what Marla had to say:

"Ceridwen has developed a deeper understanding of the philosophy and practice of criminal justice through her work in this program. She has also challenged herself to become more orally expressive. Ceridwen brought a wealth of experience to our justice studies this quarter that gave her insight into the challenges of balancing rulemaking, compassion, and punishment.

Ceridwen found it difficult to complete all her written work this quarter. The essays she did turn in were thoughtful and well-constructed. She is capable of doing excellent academic writing; I hope she will take advantage of the remainder of her college career to thoughtfully address her writing obstacles.

Early in the quarter, in her oral presentation on the philosophy of policing, Ceridwen did an excellent job of highlighting and communicating key issues from the text but seemed hesitant to connect closely with her listeners. At the end of the quarter, however, Ceridwen gave a powerful performance as Clytemnestra in our staged reading of Aeschylus' The Libation Bearers. She was an effective member of the creative ensemble and strongly contributed to the effectiveness of the presentation. Ceridwen has a powerful personal presence that deserves to be further developed along with her critical reasoning and writing skills."