<p>In AP USH, if we want to get an A we have to write a paper that is like a book report (except more analytical) on a book that the teacher assigned to us (everyone gets a different book).</p>
<p>Carolyn, your memory is correct -- I used plenty of whiteout back when I was in college in the early 70's. Whiteout was first marketed under the name "Liquid Paper" in 1958;, and by 1968 the company was selling a million bottles annually. See: <a href="http://monkeebinge.flaming-pie.net/whiteout.html%5B/url%5D">http://monkeebinge.flaming-pie.net/whiteout.html</a>
<a href="http://inventors.about.com/od/lstartinventions/a/liquid_paper.htm%5B/url%5D">http://inventors.about.com/od/lstartinventions/a/liquid_paper.htm</a></p>
<p>Dry correction products (like correction paper) came somewhat later, in the 70's. See:
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typewriter%5B/url%5D">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Typewriter</a></p>
<p>In high schools, it really depends on the school and if the student is in AP/IB or not. I taught public school for 5 years, and apart from AP, it seemed they were steadily moving away from writing research papers. One school commented that they used to require a research paper for US history but don't anymore. English classes still did it, but they had pared down the number required over the 4 years of school.</p>
<p>As far as college goes, my personal experience was that I had to write a lot of papers. Less so frosh/soph years, but as a history major in upper-level history classes, I had an average of 3-4 papers per course at 10-15 pages each, researched using mainly primary sources. All history majors also had to write a 25-30 pg senior thesis. I also had to write 10-15 pg papers in a soc class, and my con law class had tests that, among other things, required writing Supreme Court style decisions based on cited precedent. So I would say I got quite a bit of writing experience in college.</p>
<p>Without exception, though, my professors bemoaned the decline in preparation high school students were receiving. Given, my college was not a top school (regional, not known LAC), but still.</p>
<p>You might be right about the AP/IB vs. regular high school classes -- the problem is that almost all of the parents on this board have kids who would have opted for honors/AP courses, so that's what we saw. </p>
<p>On the other hand, I wonder how much of the professors' complaints are simply the same gripes that they have always been making. I mean, it seems that I grew up with teachers and profs who felt that my generation was in pretty bad shape; it might be more wishful thinking and selective memory than actual fact. I really don't know -- one day one of my kids will send me something they have written to proofread, and I will be astonished at the depth and quality of their writing, and a week later the same kid will send me something else and I will be stunned at how poorly organized and expressed the writing is. My guess is that college students -- including my own kids -- often turn in work that is careless or hurried simply because they are tired or feeling under the weather (sometimes for self-induced causes) -- so college profs probably often see work that does not reflect the true potential of the student.</p>
<p>I agree calmom with the variation in quality of the same student. When son was home over break, he showed me some of his English papers--there were sections where I turned to him and said "did you really write this?". There were some other writing samples from a class he doesn't like very much that I would have sworn were written by a totally different person who was at a much lower point in their education ;).</p>
<p>
[quote]
"She says she is doing fine with all of the writing, although she wishes she'd learned to use the library more efficiently in high school because she's now learning that not everything you need for a college research paper can be found on the internet."</p>
<p>Music to my ears!
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I like hearing this too. I still make very regular use of the huge library of my alma mater, and there are very important areas of human knowledge that are NOT on Web pages (with the possible exception of Google Book Search) at all.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I thought perhaps it was due to the fact that writing (technical aspect) is much more easily accomplished with computers than it was back in my day with manual typewriters and no white out allowed.
[/quote]
I think the ease of producing professional looking papers has definitely contributed to the increase of writing assignments. Not only can the kids accomplish so much more, but the teachers can grade without getting headaches from handwritten or sloppy typed work. Remember when your typewriter ribbon dried out at 2AM & your term paper looked like it was typed with pale gray ink? Just the reading papers in a clean Times Roman font, as opposed to the old clunky fonts on manual typewriters, makes that task easier.</p>
<p>White-out has been around since the 50s, guys. It was invented by the mom of Mike Nesmith (the Monkee who wore the hat) & was spun into the LiquidPaper line of products. I ruined an IBM selectrix typewriter when in college by spilling the stuff on the keys. It hardened like cement. After that, my mom forced me to use Corret-o-type around electric machines.</p>
<p>I just attended my 30year h.s. reunion this weekend. We all chatted about how much more our own kids are expected to do in h.s. today than we were. D is a h.s. soph and writes constantly. Every day she is handing in a written assignment, ranging in complexity from a few paragraphs to complex research papers. All the girls have laptops & she is writing in the car, in the kitchen, on the couch. Essays are required as components of every course when testing is done. I know MLA is the required format in English class this year, but I don't think the school requires all the teachers to adopt one format.</p>