A very interesting discussion on Composition Southeast and Composition Mountain West. The topic is regional differences and their impact on teaching writing.
While the basic idea behind these two blogs is that there are regional differences that affect the teaching of writing in the two areas, the posts point out that there are some similarities, too. In this case, the problem doesn't seem to be so much a question of geographic area but rather of how homogeneous a place is. When everyone comes from the same background, has the same belief system, the same attitudes and approaches to life, it can be difficult to teach there - especially if you don't entirely share those ideals.
I teach in a pretty homogeneous situation: all my students come from the same religious background and share a similar attitude toward life. As I commented on SGs post, I think I have an obligation to try to stretch my students' thinking a bit. I cannot go too far afield, but I can expand their horizons ever so slightly. I think that is part of my job as an educator.
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