Response to Thu's interview

It was very interesting to read Thu's interview. Since I am an English major there is a big emphasis put on grammar, so it was interesting to hear about the practices of another major that has a different view. To be honest, I wasn't surprised to hear that grammar was not a top priority. In science classes I have taken, although there is an expectation of general knowledge, I don't believe grammar was ever something that I was marked down for. However it is interesting to think about, if grammar is truly in a "sad state" as the professor says why don't they do something about it? I bet that if grammar were calculated into the grading that the grammar quality in papers would go up dramatically. That was actually the strategy of the English professor that I spoke with. He said he grades student down for grammar, but he doesn't mark their mistakes. He said the next paper is considerably better. He has found that students often know and can fix their own mistakes, they are just lazy about it and don't take the time, especially if there is nothing at stake.