Short Version:

I expect my students to be serious, committed, and respectful. I expect them to be humble enough to consider my suggestions on how they can improve their thinking and writing. They should expect to be challenged and questioned, and they should be prepared to defend their positions. In short, students should think of school as a grand conversation in which everyone has the responsibility to listen and contribute.

Long Version:

Annette Kolodny writes that "radical breaks are tiring, demanding, uncomfortable, and sometimes wholly beyond our comprehension." Students will find that much of what they read (in what is being said and how it is said) and what they experience in my classrooms will be a "radical break," a strange departure from familiar ground. I agree with Robert Scholes who maintains that "some of this [work] is not easy reading, I will grant you, but basic college work in the sciences is not easy either. There is no reason why we should not ask students to make an effort in the study of human textuality that is comparable to what they would make in economics, biology, or any other discipline." We would not approach our physics, math, or biology professors and say, "You know, this concept or this equation is too difficult. Can you please give me something easier to study?" Yes, the difficulty of thinking critically often leads to frustration, exasperation, and sometimes hostility. I am aware that the essays and concepts I introduce are difficult at times, but students should not jump to the erroneous conclusion that difficult texts are useless texts. Some essays are written with the express purpose of breaking the bounds of ordinary academic writing. I make no apologies for the readings or assignments because reading difficult material and completing difficult assignments are simply part of learning at this level.

Also, our reading ability has a lot to do with previous preparation and a willingness to work hard, and some of us will have to work harder, much harder, than others. It's up to my students to do the work which may include coming to see me for help which I will happily provide. They should expect to read slowly and to re-read, perhaps several times. They should also assume as well that they will have to rewrite their essays, perhaps several times.

As for grades... I do not evaluate the "rightness" or "wrongness" of responses. I do not reward my students if their view happens to coincide with mine. I'm not interested in consensus. I do, however, look at evidence, logic, and articulation. I look for contradictions, sweeping generalizations, and underdeveloped arguments. I don't reward students for hours spent on assignments. Performance, what students turn in, matters.

Students also need to keep in mind that I studied my field for a long time. I have read hundreds of books. I have written thousands of pages. Really bright people have critiqued my work and taught me a great deal. I've published essays and delivered many conference presentations. I've earned awards for my writing. I've read and commented on thousands, yes, thousands, of student essays. So, I confess that I flinch a bit when students, with only a high school degree behind them, with little academic experience or training, convey the attitude that I don't know what I'm doing. Sure, I continue to learn. Sure, I make mistakes. No, I don't expect students to wilt in my presence. However, students should pause before they offer a harsh critique or suggest that I lack expertise.

Classrooms should not necessarily be places where we all agree, where consensus is always reached. Nor am I here to build my students' self-esteem (but I don't plan on destroying it either). On the other hand, classrooms should not be places where students and teachers define themselves in opposition to each other, where the student-teacher relationship is hostile. We should both be generous with each other as we work together to improve how well we think and write.