🚀 go-pugleaf

On Wed, 25 Mar 1992 18:17:33 -0500 Lili Velez said:
>I wonder, though... How many students, of those exposed to the Sister
>Emerita treatment, actually went on to be confident, capable writers?
>Certainly some of them did, and there are surely gradations of quality
>in the Catholic school tradition(s).  But is it possible that one of
>the appeals is "I attribute my abilities to that experience, therefore
>it must be effective, and others should experience it too?"
>
>As I write this, I realize this may soon become the argument for lots
> of pedagogies...including the ones I experienced. It's not the kind of
>justification I'm most comfortable with....

Good point, Lili. During an informal roundtable discussion at 4Cs one
woman, playing devil's advocate I think, told about a teacher who had
berated her for misusing a semicolon. She presented the anecdote as
an example of an effective motivating strategy. Yeah, I said, you
were motivated to steer clear of semicolons. But what did you
learn about writing other than to toe that teacher's line?

Well, I'm sure the woman is now a very competent writer, but I
sure hope she isn't following her role model's teaching methods.
Kicking butt is effective--it teaches people to fear the boot.

Eric Crump