English composition

A thought-provoking article from Salon, asking such questions as whether it is worthwhile to teach high school English students the classic works of literature, when what they really need is intensive remedial training on how to write correctly and effectively.  Having edited more than a few shockingly poorly written college essays, I can sympathize; many undergraduate students have simply failed to learn basic grammar rules and argument strategies (plus, I suspect that the only reason they spell as well as they do is thanks to the little red squiggly line in Microsoft Word!).