Just another perspective... Though I agree that the email is inappropriate in this situation and to this audience, and probably in most other situations and audiences, I doubt that the student (or, at least, most students writing similar emails) is incapable of writing properly. Thus, I don't believe that the issue or problem is the admissions office or English 101 or the k-12 system. The student is, simply, following what he/she believes to be the norms for writing email. The sloppy, no caps, abbreviated, "natural" spelling style is normative for much teen and young adult peer-to-peer email and instant messaging. He/she is inappropriately following those norms in a setting where the norms are different. Thus, I think the failure is more about socialization of students to norms of the academy and of the world of work. K
At 02:53 PM 5/19/2006, GIMENEZ MARTHA E wrote: >On Fri, 19 May 2006, Robert Greene wrote: > > > And how did they get out of grammar school and middle school? But what > > an opportunity for a sociological discussion of this phenomenon rather > > than looking to blame the institutions. > >Wouldn't a sociological discussion of this phenomenon avoid blaming >students while focusing, instead, on the characteristics of the >institutions that produce students who have serious problems in >post-high school education? > >This is not a question of "blame," in my view, but a question of the >efficacy of the present educational system in the U.S. > >************************************* > > >>> GIMENEZ MARTHA E <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 05/19/06 1:29 PM >>> > > > > I think there are two issues here: > > > > 1. How to deal with student who write in such appalling fashion - you > > were kinder than I would have been :) > > > > 2. Why do we find this kind of student in our classes? What was the > > admissions office doing? What were our colleagues doing? What were > > such students doing in high school? And why did high schools let them > > graduate? > > > > Sigh..... > > > > Martha > > > > Martha E. Gimenez > > Department of Sociology > > Campus Box 327 > > University of Colorado at Boulder > > Boulder, Colorado 80309 > > Voice: 303-492-7080 > > Fax: 303-492-8878 > > ******************* > > > > > > > > > > On Fri, 19 May 2006, Michael Klausner wrote: > > > > > I received this e-mail from a student who was in my class last term. I > > > replied that the horrendous punctuation, grammar, spelling was not > > > appropriate when communicating with anyone except friends, perhaps. > > > > > > > > > > > > Even then, it would not be appropriate. Should I have been "harder", > > > "easier" on him? > > > > > > > > > > > > Comments welcome > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > you were right when u said u wanted to see me again ahaha.. i was > > > wonderign when ur classes were for fall semester so i can see if i can > > > retake ur class.. get back to me when you can > > > > > > sincerly, > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Kathleen McKinney Cross Endowed Chair in the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Professor, Sociology Carnegie Scholar Box 6370 Illinois State University Normal, Il 61790-6370 off 309-438-7706 fax 309-438-8788 [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.ilstu.edu/~kmckinne/ --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Teaching Sociology" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/teachsoc -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
