Re: grades, pass/fail etc.

[John Clement <clement@HAL-PC.ORG>]

> "Oh I forgot.  There was one class I actually dreaded.  I dont
> remember the name of
> it, but I remeber the teacher and the books we read.  Billy Budd.
>  I HATE THAT BOOK!
>
> I can't remember the name of the class.  We spent 8 weeks on a
> book that was about 60 pages.  It is Billy Budd by Herman
> Melville.  I think we also read Candide that semester but I have
> blocked it out.
One person's trash is often another person's treasure.  I liked both of
those books.  Unfortunately I read Candide in middle school, as I recall,
and totally missed the meaning of the word ravish.  Boy did I miss a lot.
Incidentally, I read it on my own, and later recalled many of the ideas and
realized what I had missed.  It is also possible that some teachers can be
quite successful in beating the love of literature out of students, just as
physics classes can beat the love of science out of students.

John M. Clement
Houston, TX

This posting is the position of the writer, not that of SUNY-BSC, NAU or the AAPT.