Although he begins his article with gripes about the stereotypical adventure stories of frat boys, Tobin concludes by urging instructors to address their own biases, fears and beliefs that may interfere with their ability to guide the raw writing of some adolescent males. This mindset was important for me to maintain when reading the sample student essay about prayer in school, as the subject and unsound argument structure bothered me a bit at first. But in Tobin's experiences, even the most unpleasant essays improved when he was generous and nurturing in student conferences. I liked that. He describes a series of conferences that help a shop-lifting story become a more elevated piece that was enlightening, entertaining, and honest. I felt like Tobin's approach to teaching composition was shown as flexible, nuanced, and practical because of the illustrated emphasis dialogue and diversity.
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