It would be nice if there was no need for said coursework, but alas after grading the Diagnostic Exams I realize that that is not the case. Most of the students’ work that I was witness to expressed various degrees of insecurity regarding their abilities to communicate properly in the written mode. So, we teach FYC sadly because we need to. Writing, intimately connected with reading, are both sources of great frustration to way too many of our young population. So though FYC is necessary, it also must be taught in a manner that doesn’t further alienate students and perpetuate the college drop out rate, that has reached the level of about 70%.
It is a balancing act that teachers are faced with; to properly educate on a college level while acknowledging that many never received a rudimentary education to begin with. I know I’m not being representative of all students. There is no doubt that the skills that ideally the student will walk away with are essential to critical thinking,the expression of original ideas and thoughts, and success on a college academic level. For those who did receive a formidable high school education, FYC is designed as an ideal bridge into a level of higher education. It is the toolbox necessary to go on and and succeed in college and for those who didn’t, it can perhaps inspire with the powers and wonder of language. Personally, I wish I had a course such as FYC when I was an undergraduate and didn’t struggle so in writing a research based paper.
Why Do We Teach FYC?
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