What should a FYC teacher come to class knowing? What should a FYC student come to class knowing? How can we prepare for “Plan B” when they don’t.
A FYC teacher should come to class feeling comfortable not only with the concepts being taught, but coherently explaining and demonstrating those concepts. He or she should know the grammatical expectations and be able to explain each simply and clearly. Also, a FYC teacher should have some pedagogical theory under his or her belt. Ideally, he or she would have taken some education classes and know some basic principles and theories for lesson planning, classroom management, and assessment. However, it is highly unlikely that every new teacher entering the composition classroom will have that experience. I don’t think it’s necessary, but it does help.
The student should come to class with a solid high school understanding of grammar and writing theory. They should be able to construct a sentence, how to proofread, how to write different types of papers.
However, the classroom should be an inviting place where teachers and students who are not up to speed still feel like they can enter and improve. The number one thing, as cheesy as it sounds, one must have is the attitude for learning and self improvement. We can get a struggling student up to speed if they are willing to work. We can mentor a struggling teacher to try new practices and improve. But we can give people an attitude transplant.
