Well hello again! Today my professor has asked us to respond to a quote from Associate Professor Mark B. Wolff of Hartwick. Here is what Professor Wolff says about students born after 1992:
Many of these students are quite comfortable using social media but they often struggle reading anything more than 140 characters. They have learned a technique of reading that is a hybrid of Google searches and high school textbooks. Given a reading assignment and a list of questions to guide them as they read, they are very good at scanning the text looking for relevant sections that answer the questions, reproducing oracular passages, and moving on. When queried in class about what they had read, they refer to their answers and think they have finished the task. They have trouble synthesizing different pieces of information into a coherent interpretative framework of their own.” (Humanist Discussion Group, Vol. 27, No. 142)
I have a couple of problems with this quote. First off, Wolff has generalized several generations of students and insulted the better half. It really depends on ones skill set and interest in reading as to how they will read and synthesize information. For instance, teachers in some schools make assignments ridiculously easy, or give students the answers rather than implore the students to understand the information. I know this from experience because my senior year I did not take AP English. Instead I took regular English. Boy was that a mistake! Please learn from my mistake… If you love something – don’t stray from it. Stick with it. Anyway… To my great astonishment, the gap between AP (or Honors) English and regular English was akin to the Grand Canyon. My fellow peers were so far behind the curve it was ALMOST hysterical. But it shouldn’t have been. There was no excuse for their lack in comprehension. And to pull myself out of my rant, I’ll get back to the main point I was working up to. So, I do see the validity in what Associate Professor Mark B. Wolff is saying. I don’t think I would have the same view had I not been banging my head against my desk all senior year.
However, there are some positives to how the “digital natives”, as he calls all born after 1992, are able to read/communicate. Since, as he kindly pointed out, we are used to communicating in 140 characters or less we are quick to get to the point. There is simply no extra room for unnecessary words or tid-bits. Perhaps this is why we scan for the major events/information when we read larger texts. We are conditioned to relate important material first because at the end of the day, that is what is relevant and what we will need to know.. So, I will take a compliment from that even though I have no doubt in my mind that there were no compliments intended from Wolff.
That said, I will agree that he does describe parts of my reading style. By that, I mean sometimes I scan the text while other times I take the time to make in-depth connections with the text. It really just depends on the subject and the assignment. Now I know I should be more consistent, but that’s just how I read.
His last statement rings true, because information becomes outdated quite quickly. Ha-ha, a little alliteration! Sorry, back to this long post… I say this because new information is cropping up every waking (and sleeping) moment of our lives. Sometimes people miss the connections between certain literary works, facts, current events (basically whatever the material may be) and the relevance to the present day. Connections can be hard to see at first – especially if a student was not taught to look for them. Shout out to my pre-AP and AP English teachers! You guys are amazing, and I will forever be grateful to you! Now I am not placing blame on any one individual. I think we are all accountable for our own actions and are ultimately our own teachers. Weird, huh? I think he means that modern generations are quickly overwhelmed with information – rightly so – and we have little idea of what to make of it all. Which is true to a point, but it varies from person to person. Phew! I am finally done with this long post! And figuratively out of breath…. Until later, readers! ~V
Sunflowers and Riddles 
I finally refound your email and found your blog! It’s good to hear your “voice” again 🙂 And good to know that you’re doing well — you sound happy, and like you’re thriving. And, by the way, a shout out to students like you, who make a real effort to internalize the advice I’m making a real effort to teach… it shows in your writing that you apply what you learn! Keep in touch, Virginia. I miss your smiling face!
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I liked that you found and unintended compliment from the professor. It doesn’t apply to students, it applies to adults as well. We are busy with careers and families, I find that I read that way when I am reading my journals.
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