Because this is a blog, my "Grand overall plan" post will end up at the bottom (Newest stuff ends up at the top), so you will probably read this last, if you see it at all. And because this is a blog, it can grow in some unpredictable ways. This morning I sat down and made a rough list of things I wish my incoming freshmen had (but frequently miss). Here's what I wrote. It will form some kind of skeleton of the discussion that follows.
Skills I wish my student had
- Computer use, at least enough to make a reasonably nice looking paper, and the ability to send an RTF file as an email attachment
- At least enough basic English to write a three-page essay with no more than four or five spelling/grammar errors per page (I would call that a low "C")
- At least enough basic skill to actually write three pages on a topic
- Using a paper dictionary
- Keeping track of their own stuff, including paper, pen, calendar, and textbook
Intellectual material I wish they knew
- Enough familiarity with a quality daily newspaper (LA Times or Washington Post for example) to know what national and international issues are current, what an editorial looks like, and what a feature article looks like
- Enough basic civics to have some idea how our country is governed—it would be really great if they had actually seen a copy of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence.
- Enough basic history to have a clue when the big things happened. Were Martin Luther and Martin Luther King the same person? Did George Washington and Abraham Lincoln know each other? Why does the American flag have thirteen stripes?
Daily habits I wish my students had
- Being intellectually curious
- Being humble enough to try to get something from the class (arrogance is never fitting in a freshman)
- Staying reasonably sober
- Actually showing up and doing the work—including reading the textbook
- Using campus facilities such as Writing Lab and professors' office hours
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