The Joys of Teaching

We were all set to provide our thoughts on yesterday's main event--the Super Bowl. . . commercials--but we got a little backed up at work, and it's late, so we thought we'd share some entertaining tidbits from our students.

In every class we teach, we assign the following piece of regular homework: Every day, students are to take a piece of non-fiction prose and select a paragraph of approximately 150 words. They are then to hand-copy this paragraph exactly, paying attention to sentence structure, diction, punctuation, etc. The idea is that no one actually learns to write by taking writing classes--people learn to write by reading and writing. We feel, therefore, that one of the most valuable services we can provide our students is the opportunity--or the mandate--to conscientiously read professional writing.

Students receive no credit for an entry with more than three errors. When students ask us how we will know if they've made a mistake, we explain that, if we find more than three misspellings, run-on sentences, or other fundamental errors in composition, we assume the mistakes are the student's and not the professional writer's or editor's. (And, of course, we tell students that they can show us the original and, if the mistakes appear there, they will be given full credit for the assignment--and forbidden from ever using that source again!)

In general, the students do a decent job, and any mistakes are fairly minor and uninteresting. Every now and then, though. . . .

Tonight, for example, we read a selection from an article ostensibly titled, "Travoltas May Be Forced to Relieve Son's Death." The most interesting error, though, was from an article on bulimia. The article explained that many bulimics will try to maintain their weight by exercising, vomiting, or using diuretics or "laxativities."

Activities that make you poop, perhaps?

Solipsist out!