Something seems Fishy around here...

 Mr.Stanely Fish, a Professor at Florida International University, wrote an article for The New York Times arguing that a lot of pressure is being weighed on these college professors, in trying to assist in the success of college writers. Fish states that reading and writing is something that should be practiced way before students get to college; not while already attending college. Well, Fishy, I think you're on to something, because I could not agree more. Reading and writing are two important things that should be taught early on, so it gives kids the head start that will eventually be valuable when they reach not only a College status, but within their careers; reading and writing is required EVERYWHERE that you go.

"Stay with me!"

College writing is more than just t's crossed and i's dotted; it's sentence structure, organization, brainstorming, theses, and creativity. Without the knowledge of those key components, you will surely struggle in College reading and writing courses; especially the lack of knowledge on thesis statements, which is the heart of every paper.  Without it, you're paper will not function. Over a period of eight weeks, I got the opportunity to research my theory on theses. For my English 1109 course, I was required to observe a fellow student, who also was required to meet in the OSU Newark's Writer's Studio, for assistance on one of her major papers. After about the second week of observing, that's when it all dawned on me...College students don't know jack squat about college writing! The student that I observed had a very difficult time connecting her entire essay to her thesis, which was her main point. Though she had little grammatical errors, the PWC (peer writing counselor) had a hard time following her point throughout her essay.

 Fish made a point that learning should start way before middle school and high school, that reading and writing should be a priority even in Kindergarten. It may sound silly to teach kids who can barely tie their shoes about sentence structure, thesis statements, etc., but it is simply a stepping stone to what will be expected of them later on in their academic career. Imagine, a six year old being able to explain what a thesis statement is! Think how much easier it would be for her in middle school, high school, and then college. Without the knowledge of how to accurately produce a thesis statement, how can a College Professor have high expectations for a student's essay, when a thesis makes up the entire paper? They can't, and I think that is the point that Fish is trying to make.

While sentence structure  is important in tying your paper together with the thesis, the importance of creativity and authenticity in your thesis may also be a key component in having a successful and entertaining essay; which was seen in the first couple of observations. the PWC had asked the student, "How can you pull the reader into this paper, do you want to start with a question or maybe a quote?" This can be difficult for some college students, because when writing a paper, you can become so obsessed with gathering evidence and quotes, and be so caught up in writing about FACTS, that we forget about keeping our readers interested in what we're writing about! Like the intro in an essay, it is nice to have the thesis catch the reader's attention. When reading any book, essay, newspaper, etc. It has been my experience to be very helpful when the thesis statement is somewhat entertaining and creative, because it seems to stick with me throughout the entire paper and it is easier for me to refer back to the main point when a topic in the essay may come up that I do not fully understand. No one wants their paper to be unclear to the point it makes the reader want to give up; or worse, fall asleep.


 Teachers were once college students, which means that they too had the same expectations within their reading/writing courses as we do now. My hope for the future, is not to take away from what elementary, middle and high school teachers are instilling in their students, but to be able to come together and remind one another of what all their future college students will be facing in the years to come; I believe that will make better College writers.