The Idea of an Essay, Volume 2

178 (par. 7). Inadequate preparation for the writing field in lower levels of education leads to freshmen’s feelings of incompetence and isolation from the field of composition when they enter college writing courses. These feelings of incompetence and isolation that freshmen writing students harbor are a grievous problem for college professors, for the students’ views of the various writing arenas affect their grades and therefore reflect the professor’s success or shortcomings in guiding the writing techniques of the students. Also, if college teachers don’t accommodate students who feel incompetent and isolated from the field of writing, their pupils may develop negative views of them and spread their complaints, leading to unpleasant evaluations of the professors by their employers and fellow faculty members. As Hafer explains, unsuccessful instruction in composition courses may be an important cause of students’ departure from college settings (par. 15). This endangers many aspects of a university, including attendance, funding and reputation. Students’ departure from colleges due to ineffective writing classes therefore results in damage to both the professors’ respectability and employment. Rick Evans, author of “Learning ‘Schooled Literacy’: The Literate Life Histories of Mainstream Student Readers and Writers,” describes the disinterest in writing that many students develop in their adolescent years. These feelings of apathy may increase to the extent that students resent all writing tasks related to the academic field (319-339). Evans’ observations reveal the gravity of the problem, as students’ aversion to writing may emerge from thoughts of insecurity and inadequacy within the field of composition. The grave problem of some freshmen college students’ low levels of performance in writing classes due to feelings of incompetence and isolation is one that college professors have the duty and ability to correct in an effective manner. In correcting the issue of their freshmen student’s feelings of incompetence and isolation within the writing field, college professors should avoid ineffective resolution strategies. One futile technique concerns separating the student who feels incompetent and isolated from his or her classmates and giving the pupil exclusive attention and assistance in developing proper writing skills. Though the professor may use this method in hopes of giving the student an added measure of comfort within the writing field, he will instead