Bartholomae

"He is trying on the discourse even though he doesn't have the knowledge that makes the discourse more than a routine...And he does this, I think, even though he knows he doesn't have the knowledge that makes the discourse more than a routine. He defines himself as a researcher, working systematically, and not as a kid in a high school class."

When I read Bartholomae's piece, this first example stuck with me. I think the whole idea that this student, as many students do, conforms to whatever standards must be followed. More specifically, I am interested by the idea that we, as writers, naturally try and appeal to the readers desires. This takes practice and does not always work, but this student knows that the readers in this case want someone who sounds intelligent and calculating. Bartholomae points out that "He moves quickly into a specialized language...and draws...a textbook-like conclusion." This is what a student wants in an essay that needs to sound academic. Despite this student's efforts to "invent the university" in his writing, he makes a few slips. He becomes a lecturer, a parent, rather than an academic. It is interesting that many of these beginning essays become "life lessons" rather than conclusive pieces of writing. What is it that makes a student slip into teacher mode? Is it the desire to be at the reader's level and avoid looking young, naive, or uneducated?
I believe that writers that are writing ahead of themselves in the hopes of meeting the university's standards definitely fill their pieces with B.S., to go back to E&S. They hope the right jargon and technical language will cover up small errors and misunderstandings within a complicated field. But how does being forced to try to write ahead of what one knows help anyone? Shouldn't students feel comfortable "writing in their own words," as I've always been taught to? Why do universities and academics hold this standard for people who are just learning a subject? Yes, students need to learn to write an academic piece in their field of study, but shouldn't that come later on? Shouldn't that happen on it's own once the student has mastered the subject themselves? That would be the logical path, after all. When one has immersed him or herself in a certain world (academic or otherwise) they begin to read, write, think, and talk as that community does.
I know most of this is rambling, but why are students pushed to fill papers with technical words and long quotes when less can truly be more? In the end, a student's paper may be more simplistic when they write what they know, but at least it's clear where they are at. They shouldn't feel the need to go beyond their own vocabulary. Yes, they should be adding to that vocabulary frequently, but they shouldn't need to consult a thesaurus in order to do well on a short essay. That being said, students sometimes need to be pushed in order to produce better writing; I'm just not sure that compelling them to sound academic is the way to accomplish this.