It looks like it's the off-season for you all. No new posts in over a month? Well, those of us who are gainfully unemployed don't get time off.... um....

Anyway, if you're looking for a light read to take to the beach or whatever, check out the June Atlantic, which has a fun (?) little article about teaching Basic Writing and Intro to Lit:
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200806/college

I'd love to hear what people think of this. And I'd especially love to read your responses in letters to the Atlantic next month.

Unfortunately, the author doesn't name the institutions she teaches at--the mystery-preserving bio at the end of the article indicates only that "Professor X teaches at a private college and at a community college in the northeastern United States"--so the meaning of "colleges of last resort" remains unclear. What do you make of the phrase "colleges of last resort"? Do such low-caliber students make it in to other types of institutions? (Your institutions?) Might the total lack of potential that the author sees be caused by her perception of her home institutions?