Date: Wed, 25 Mar 1998 08:56:52 -0500
From: "Bethany K. Dumas" dumasb[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]UTK.EDU
Subject: Banned wds
I used to ban words in comp class essays. I don't anymore, haven't for
years (no, I don't teach comp anymore, but I did as recently as about
1990). Later, I opted for tactics to make the students sick of the items
in question.
For instance, I used to hold a contest to see who could use the offending
term the most number of times per page. Then we would read the dreadful
winners out loud. Everybody was soon very aware of the offensive nature
of the words abd was pretty sick of them. I think that banning is usually
counter-productive.
The last few times I taught comp, I taught computer sections in a Mac
lab. At that time, many of our students had not used computers. They went
crazy over the graphic possibilities. SO -- we had another contest, to see
who could use the most in a composition. They soon got it out of their
system.
BTW, the last few times I taught comp, I insisted on teaching 101 only in
the Spring semester. That meant that almost every student in the class had
failed 101 at least once. I enjoyed the challenge.
When I came to UT, every member of the professorial staff taught freshman
comp at least once every two years. Now, of course, no members of the
prof. staff teach it, except the director of the Comp program. I was the
last prof. staff member to volunteer to teach comp. I have not had time to
do it in recent years, but I would like to do it again. How better to know
the current state of the language?
Bethany