October 5, 1981

One day recently, a colleague of mine asked her college English class to name a contemporary of the medieval poet Chaucer. No one had an answer, except one student. His reply: Robert Frost. I was not amused. Perhaps I would have been if such students were the rare exception. But they are not. College students today, by and large, are amazingly lacking in important knowledge, and it's no laughing matter.

It's as though the Enlightenment had never happened. What I can only call a medieval frame of mind still persists among us. Some people who should know better still want to believe in magic when they're faced with knotty and irksome problems.

David G. Imig Executive Director American Association of Colleges For Teacher Education Washington

We have read with some dismay Thomas Toch's article "For Teachers of Teachers: A Crisis of Quality" (Education Week, Sept 14). We are extremely concerned over both the one-sided presentation of opinions, and the selection of quotes that the reporter has offered. While the first paragraphs of the article set a critical but realistic tone, they in no way justify the use of the title "... A Crisis of Quality."