Frustrated College Teacher: Student's Writing Skills Are Terrible

by Donna Garner | May 27, 2012 | Citizen Report ? Education

This is a series of two different interchanges with a college professor whose name I will keep confidential. I believe she expresses her concerns well and that they parallel what I said in my article Instead of Lowering Bar, How About Teaching Students To Write Correctly??

Texas? new curriculum standards for English/Language Arts/Reading that were passed in May 2008 now require the systematic instruction of correct grammar, usage, spelling, and expository/persuasive/research writing.

This year?s ninth graders through Kindergarten fall under these new curriculum standards, but the present sophomores through seniors are examples of students taught the ?old? curriculum standards that have been in place in Texas since July 1997. It is these students who undoubtedly reflect the same lack of English proficiency that this college professor describes.

We are hopeful in Texas that in a few years our high-school graduates will impress their college professors by demonstrating real proficiency with the English language.

Here?s the letter I received on May 19, 2012.

Hi, Donna,

I am a college professor who teaches ALL writing and reading intensive courses in both criminal justice and sociology.

I paid a visit to the Director of Instruction (D.I.) of English curriculum at a large public school district a month ago. This was done at the urging of the high-school principal who is very concerned about the lack of correct grammar in students? writing and speaking.

I told the D. I. that, as a university instructor, I deduct the first 20 points off for grammar and spelling on ANY paper students submit to me for a grade. Students are always horrified and don?t believe that I will do it until they see it on their first set of returned papers.

After mid-semester, students begin visiting the tutoring and writing centers for help and review of their papers before submission. But, the papers STILL come in with many errors, and I receive word from those tutorial groups that the students HAVE been in there!

Seldom does a student make above 80 on any written assignment turned in to me. When they make 85, 90, 92, or 98, I really praise them and usually in front of the class. I tell them to set up their own tutorial services and charge at least $20/hour. Everyone laughs! But, they know that I am serious.

What it tells me is that there are incompetent people in the tutoring and writing centers as well. Too often, the tutoring centers do not have English proficient people in there? maybe they are math or science tutors but cannot help in English grammar, even when the student makes an advance appointment.

I count off for run-on sentences, sentence fragments, incorrect sequencing; mis-use of semi-colon and comma, spelling, and verb tense change in mid sentence. I warn them that after the second typed line of the sentence, they are treading in very dangerous waters; the possibility of a run-on sentence is increased dramatically!

You would NOT believe how many of them use text messaging in their papers now, like ?til? for ?until? or ?u r? for ?you are? or ?your? for ?you are.? ?I carve up the papers. It looks as if I stuck my finger with a pin and dripped blood all over the pages.

The older students are very appreciative for the analysis. It takes me hours to do this. But, I encourage them to look over their first papers, find out what they did wrong, and NOT to do it again. I tell them to read aloud their own papers; they will catch many of their own errors then.

I warn them days in advance: NO contractions in formal writing; use ?who? for people and ?that? for things; we shouldn?t be writing the way we talk.

The English department was VERY surprised when they found out the way that I grade. I told them that I have done this (and am STILL doing this) at the various college campuses where I have taught. I will continue doing this. My students are going to learn how to write, one way or the other. Most every job requires writing.

A number of police officers in my city had problems because their written reports were so poorly written that they were not admissible as evidence in court. It could not be determined whom the policeman was talking about or what he/she was trying to say. So now, the police academies have an instructional block on ?writing.? It has become a REAL problem for the D.A.?s office to prove a case because of the very poor use of the English language in the officers? reports!

Students tell me that they have not been trained in grammar since 4th grade! ?In high school, the grammar books stay under their chairs all semester. When I was teaching high school, we used them every week! What is the matter with our English teachers?

One teacher told me that her department has been told to teach for creativity and to forget about the specifics of grammar; it will come to the students LATER! ?English teachers are being told to do this! I am hearing this from teachers in various districts. It is shocking to me.

We also EXPECT for these kids to come into college already KNOWING how to operate the library software. We should not have to teach this to them again, but most of them don?t have a clue how to operate JStor, Ebsco, or any of the major library programs.

Students have never seen a peer-reviewed article. Our public school systems are paying a FORTUNE for these fancy software programs. Are only the administrators using them? At best, the kids are getting a brief explanation of what is there, and that?s it ? instead of being given a research project where they have to show documentation from peer-reviewed articles, as well as newspapers and magazines, covering their subjects. Are only the students at the gifted and talented levels getting the benefit of this product?

Read the second letter here.

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