Remedial English vs. Regular College Courses: A Comparison

Introduction: Two Very Different Classrooms

School can be either a very uplifting and inspirational place or a daunting place that serves to discourage the student. As someone on the verge of completing a college education and receiving a degree, it is easy to overlook how difficult that path has been for others. Some people have encountered obstacles in life that have prevented them from moving in a straight line through education, forcing them to complete what may feel like unnecessary tasks just to prove their academic aspirations.

In "The Second-Chance Club: Inside a Semester of Remedial English," authors Eric Hoover and Sara Lipka write about a class of students required to take remedial English who are not particularly pleased about having to do so. There are many differences between a regular college course and remedial English, but there are also meaningful similarities. A regular credit-bearing course tends to motivate students differently; the students in the remedial class often face more significant external problems that can hinder their performance. Yet what both groups share is this: by taking the class, they are working to improve themselves and preparing for future success.

Credit, Behavior, and Classroom Standards

In the remedial class, students do not receive academic credit for completing the course. However, they are required to take it because passing demonstrates a level of proficiency that will allow them to enroll in more advanced classes. The students described in the article are, on the whole, not well behaved and at times show disrespect toward the teacher. The authors write, "Some students aren't trying. They come late and play solitaire. One day just four have done their homework" (Hoover). In a regular college class, this kind of behavior would not be tolerated.

In a typical college classroom, some students may occasionally be unprepared or distracted, but this is the exception rather than the norm. The absence of academic credit in remedial courses appears to affect student investment in a meaningful way. When students know a course will not count toward their degree, the motivation to engage consistently is harder to sustain — even if passing the course is a necessary gateway to further study. Understanding this dynamic helps explain some of the behavioral differences observed between remedial and credit-bearing classes.

Personal Hardships and Educational Background

The students discussed in the article each carry a backstory that helps explain why they were not academically successful earlier in life. Some faced personal hardships or family problems that prevented them from succeeding. Others simply did not put in the work required. One student's story, that of Dominique Parrish, was particularly illuminating. "Growing up on Chicago's South Side, she attended public schools where students walked through metal detectors every morning. Both her parents had run-ins with the law" (Hoover).

Most students in a standard college course have not faced such difficult circumstances — at least not visibly. Many have been raised in households where education was encouraged and supported. Remedial education tends to serve a disproportionate number of students whose struggles, like Dominique's, were not of their own making. There are far more cases like hers in remedial English than many regular college students might initially suppose. Recognizing these differences in life experience is important to understanding why remedial courses exist and who they are designed to help.

Conclusion: The Universal Value of Education

At first glance, there do not appear to be many similarities between remedial English and a regular college course. The students in remedial classes are sometimes disruptive, and many have not had the same opportunities as students in traditional courses. However, at the heart of the matter, the students are very much alike. Although the material may be more advanced in one setting, the underlying reason for being there is the same: to learn and to improve one's prospects in life.

Looking at both groups side by side makes the importance of education clearer. Everyone who wants to succeed needs access to learning, and for some people, obtaining that education requires far more persistence and sacrifice than for others. The students in remedial English and those in regular college courses are all working toward the same fundamental goal, even if the road each person travels looks very different.

Works Cited

Hoover, Eric, and Sara Lipka. "The Second-Chance Club: Inside a Semester of Remedial English." The Chronicle of Higher Education. Washington, D.C.: Chronicle of Higher Education, 2013. Print.