I want to focus on this quote by Ira Shore because it best fits myself. I absolutely do better in classes without syllabuses. Seeing what I have to do in the class allows me to procrastinate. I know that I am a smart and efficient worker when I put my mind into things, and that's why I don't doubt myself when I think about putting things off. I can complete A+ essays 30 minutes before the class that they are due, and that's exactly what I did to pass writing 100 with an A. I can force myself to stay up all night and complete a full semester's worth of work. It isn't exactly a good thing that I procrastinate, but If I didn't have a set list of exactly what I had to do and how I needed to do it, I wouldn't procrastinate so much. In my first semester of last year, I took a history class where there was no syllabus, only an assignment passed out after every class that was due the next class. I never missed a class (which is also something I had a problem with) because I needed the work and needed to pass in the work that was due. There was no procrastinating that semester. This semester I procrastinated in almost all of my classes and fell behind due to a lot of issues that went on during the year. I was able to catch up, but it destroy me to have to stay up almost every night, and do nothing but stare at a computer screen for hours completing assignment after assignment. I did not try to sabotage the curriculum like Ira Shore said was a possibility, I accepted my error and took responsibility to self educate myself.
This quote can also be related to how Delpit talks about making clear the rules and codes of power. I think that letting students know what is expected of them and when it is expected is good to do, but each student is different with what they make of it. I myself don't work good knowing I have time to do things later and knowing that I am able to get it done when I do decide to do it. Others look at a list of work and want to get more done earlier because they cant handle too much work at once or because they avoid stressing themselves out.
Note: had to do three essays and study for my final today, so that's why this post came up later.