Date:    Wed, 25 Mar 1998 18:51:39 -0500
<br>From:    frank abate  abatef[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]COMPUSERVE.COM 
<br>Subject: Banned wds
<br>
<br>Message text written by Bethany Dumas:
<br>
<br> BTW, the last few times I taught comp, I insisted on teaching 101 only i=
<br>n
<br>the Spring semester. That meant that almost every student in the class ha=
<br>d
<br>failed 101 at least once. I enjoyed the challenge.
<br>
<br>When I came to UT, every member of the professorial staff taught freshman=
<br>
<br>comp at least once every two years. Now, of course, no members of the
<br>prof. staff teach it, except the director of the Comp program. I was the
<br>last prof. staff member to volunteer to teach comp. I have not had time t=
<br>o
<br>do it in recent years, but I would like to do it again. How better to kno=
<br>w
<br>the current state of the language?
<br>
<br>Bethany 
<br>
<br>************************
<br>I'm surprised to hear that "Now, of course, no members of the
<br>prof. staff teach it".  What a sorry commentary on the state of things!
<br>
<br>I am now quite far from the academy, having last taught in a formal setti=
<br>ng
<br>some 20 years ago, so I have no recent experience to draw on.  But if
<br>professors are
<br>indeed so reluctant to "get down in the trenches," and this is truly
<br>widespread,
<br>this is puzzling and very problematic to one like me, facing the near-ter=
<br>m
<br>prospect of
<br>having to pay huge amounts of tuition for college educations for my kids.=
<br>
<br>
<br>What's all that tuition for if not to get some of those highly skilled
<br>people to actually
<br>teach my kids?  And why not freshman comp?  There are few more valuable
<br>life skills
<br>than being able to write clearly, confidently, and gracefully.
<br>
<br>Frank Abate
<br>