When I first started to attend classes at the community college level, I thought I'd flunk. Often Teaching Assistants with limited experience with life or love marked my papers. I got some D and E papers that first semester. But then one French teacher took me under her wing and told me I was too French for English Literature undergraduate courses. I welcomed this invisible hug and directed my studies accordingly.
Many years have past since then.
I still feel too timid to tackle English Lit. I was simply amazed that I got an A. Catherine's article talks about the people she encountered at a community college. I think her article shows the importance of mentors. She argures that instuctors and professors need to acknowledge that many people lacking formal training are intellectual. Intellectualism is about connecting the heart,the mind and the soul and sharing that inner voice with someone outside the self.