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Naughty Student
DEAR EDITOR,
It is regrettable that Mr. Kissoon disliked my book. His surprising piece in the Kaieteur News indicates that something deeper is going on. Over the years I have had naughty students who overreact when something very personal is triggered.
In such a case one has to lead the student first to serenity, and then to acceptance.
Then student shortfalls can be pointed out – without offence – starting with the obvious. Vocabulary is usually a good starting point. A Glossary is a list of terms used in explaining difficult or unusual words and expressions used in the text. (Please note that I titled it “A Glossary of Terms.”)
An Epilogue is a continuing part of a literary work. This is what Mr. Kissoon was referring to at the end of his piece. It is regrettable that he did not refer to Wikipedia, Book Design, before sitting down to write.
This is easily accessible and lays out the traditional parts of a book. Notes and Acknowledgements, I might add, go in the front and after the Preface. The Bibliography, which Mr. Kissoon calls Acknowledgements, is in the back of the book. A Bibliography is a list of source materials that are used or consulted in the preparation of a work, or that are referred to in the text.
Factual errors in the student papers I collect, and have to grade, abound. By example, my book of 288 pages was listed as 253 in the piece. (Professionals list the number of pages by including all printed pages in the book)
It is astonishing that the 83 End Notes at the end of the book were missed as well. An author may choose between footnotes and endnotes. They are the same, just placed in different parts of a book. (This is why we used the terms ‘foot’ and ‘end.’)
Reading a book thoroughly is also a virtue. Consider that Donna Dos Santos [since deceased] and her relationship with the Thomas Carroll Gang were covered in great detail. Kissoon’s turning to the Epilogue to get a quick summary suggests that he is like many of my poorer students. They skim and skip through their assigned reading, and prefer pictures with subtitles.
Scholarship is demanding. The book reviews I wrote over the years (some of which were picked up by the Encyclopedia Britannica on line) required more than a pique of anger. Consider that I had to defend a paper at a Symposium at Hofstra University.
Journal Articles, such as my research paper on Smallpox Eradication in Equatorial Guinea, also came under peer review.
As for my credentials, I hold a BA from the State University of New York at Buffalo, and two Masters Degrees.
Those are from PACE University and New York University, both in Manhattan. I also hold three certificates, one of which is in Teaching English as a Second Language. This featured Linguistics as well as Grammar and Pronunciation.
Perhaps Mr. Kissoon’s University education is grander than mine, but I am hardly an illiterate.
Finally let me say that I did not intend to steal the limelight from anyone. I understand that I have been the subject of conversations in Guyana for two weeks now.
This was not my intention. When I started this project it was because I, as an American, was horrified by what Thomas Carroll did in America’s name. When I arrived in Guyana the tragedy took on a human dimension that never left me.
I recall a student I had last year who was disruptive among his peers and plagiarized both his papers.
The University required that he fail, but I gave him a D+ and requested that the grade count toward his graduation. Something deep inside the young man was eating away at him.
Thoughtful reading and discussion is necessary. Wisdom requires thought and humility. Sunlight is the best disinfectant. This is your journey. Godspeed.
David Casavis
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