an architectural haven for slow thinking and writing
“Once we identify the problem—the sheer magnitude of what is being lost—it becomes immediately clear what any solution worthy of the name must accomplish: the hours must be recovered. How to do this is a good question. I have heard tales of complicated incentive schemes involving baroque grade distributions, of in-class writing samples used as internal benchmarks for outside-class writing, of Dead Poets Society reenactments. I don’t know that these won’t work. But I know what I think about when I confront this question: a big room. A pleasant-enough room with tables and chairs, and maybe some cookies at 9 p.m., budget permitting. A room that it is very easy for an instructor to require a student to spend time in—as easy as checking a box. A room with lockers for your bag, that you can walk into with just a book or a question to spend a few hours with, without distractions, without any offers of ‘help.’ Sometimes when I tell colleagues about it they express concern that requiring students to spend time in my room would feel punitive and paternalistic. But most people just say it sounds like heaven.”