This site is not maintained. Click here for the new website of Richard Dawkins.

Comment

← 'People say I'm strident'

Lisa Bauer's Avatar Jump to comment 28 by Lisa Bauer

From the article:

Does he worry that the calibre of undergraduates is falling, as access to university is extended? "I've got to be terribly careful not to sound like an old fogey here. When I first started tutoring in the 1960s it was a great joy to me, to get enthusiastic pupils who were really keen and interested and a tutorial would be a real meeting of minds and a real conversation. That good feeling about it seemed to gradually disappear. But I would hesitate to blame the students for that, it could be that I was just growing jaded."


THIS is the part of the article I want to know more about. How, specifically, have things changed in this regard? Are students less curious, less argumentative, less impressive intellectually, what? Or is it more that, having taught so long, he's "seen it all before" or something of that nature?

Sat, 25 Oct 2008 12:56:00 UTC | #257709