High schools no longer prepare most students to express ideas coherently or follow accepted English, let alone carry on serious intellectual work….. The task falls to me — in courses ostensibly about specified topics, not composition — to patch up these leaky vessels…. I hold that a university education ought to include a significant writing component, that student writing deserves substantial professorial comment, that every student can become a better writer with practice, and that this is the last effective chance for them to get practice and feedback. If not us, who? —Max Clio
—Grading on My Nerves (Chronicle)
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Of course.. back in the good ol’ days, a period in history conjured at will by those who might otherwise have to face reality. Okay, that’s overstating it, but your point is well taken, Will.
One issue is that more people today are going to college simply becuase that’s what they are supposed to do… in the past, college was only for the elite, who came from the best schools. So professors who teach entry-level courses get a wide range of students, including some who simply aren’t ready for college.
“no longer”? Was there really a magical time when they did?