Duke Prof says to Engineering Student from Hinsdale Central: Writing Skills Key to Engineering Success

From time to time, HC English teachers receive feedback from HC grads. Typically, the feedback reports that they found themselves to be well prepared for the writing tasks they encounter at college. That doesn't surprise me because the senior rhetoric class at HC is every bit as challenging as the Rhet 105 classes I taught at the University of Illinois. Teachers, of course, cherish these notes of gratitude.

The following email, though, from an HC mom, expresses not just gratitude for the expert and caring teaching, but also shares an important insight into the world into which our graduates are headed: writing well is a necessary component to rising to the top of any field. One of my favorite contemeporary writers, Atul Gawande, says something similar in his book Better: the doctors who distinguish themselves -- the positive deviants -- in a wide range of healthcare fields share one thing in common: they write to understand and to communicate.

This email was sent to English teachers Lauren Otahal, Christine Hicks, and Jared Friebel. I have changed the student's name.

As Laura’s English teachers when she was at Hinsdale Central, I thought you’d be interested to know about a writing curriculum Laura is in as a mechanical engineering major at Duke. A graduate of Duke’s Pratt School of Engineering who has been working in the field of aeronautical engineering came back to Duke to spearhead a writing program for engineers. Duke has discovered that it is an inability to effectively communicate that impedes engineers from progressing in their field. The gentleman heading up this program, a unique one among engineering schools, told Laura’s class that if one has gone into engineering to avoid writing papers, they have made a grave mistake. While at Duke, every presentation and paper will go through a draft process in this writing center. And those who hoped to get away from writing will end up working for the students in the class who excel at writing and communicating ideas (which made Laura smile). I was surprised to learn from Laura that her two engineering courses this semester are project presentation and writing based (a very different, more technical type of writing that Laura is learning). We just wanted to express our gratitude to the three of you for helping to make Laura such a proficient writer and communicator. No matter what direction Laura's education and career takes, the Hinsdale Central English curriculum has clearly provided her a solid foundation on which to build.