Big ah-ha and big whoops

I feel a lot better about essayistic writing (Qualley's version) after our discussion after lunch. I don't know why, but I was under the impression that Qualley detested more traditional styles of writing. I couldn't wrap my head around throwing everything I knew out the window for the more reflexive version. The idea of a continuum helped me understand that there is a place for both styles of writing, and depending on the objective of your lesson, the same writing genre could be at different ends of the spectrum. They also can have a symbiotic relationship, as Don pointed out in the example he uses in his classroom. Having one umbrella assignment (research) that is broken up into traditional and writing to learn assignments offers students a wide range of what they must be proficient in, whether it's for a state test or for their own critical development. Working with elementary students who have learning and cognitive disabilities, I would like to see research or essays on teaching this population to think critically. I wonder if there are additional or modified strategies.

My whoops moment: Robin helped me figure out that the biography assignment will be about THE OTHER person, not ourselves. Should I blame my spacey-ness on the fans, on pregnancy brain, or on reflexivity?