Editor:

In response to JC Dale ("Confidence reason for broader grading," April 12), I must ask the question: How long have you been writing in English? Grammatical skills, including spelling, begin early on in the American education system because of their overall importance to the future success of American students. Sadly enough, though, today's college students can barely use their native language correctly in composition. Don't you think that by the time you reach this advanced level of education you should be expected to possess a decent grasp of English mechanics and be able to spell correctly? When professors attempt to correct spelling mistakes, you scream, "but look at what I say, not how I spell it!" From this I draw my final question: Do you really think that people will respect your ideas, no matter how powerful and complex they are, when your grammar is obviously inferior?

Annie M. Marshak
French literature junior