" The first thing I want to say to you who are students, is that you cannot afford to think of being here to receive an education; you will do much better to think of yourselves as being here to claim one. One of the dictionary definitions of the verb to claim is: to take as the rightful owner; to assert in the face of possible contradiction. To receive is to come into possession of; to act as receptacle or container for; to accept as authoritative or true. "

" ...Too often, all of us [teachers] fail to teach the most important thing, which is that clear thinking, active discussion, and excellent writing are all necessary for intellectual freedom, and that these require hard work. "

" ...the contact on the students part involves that you demand to be taken seriously so that you can also go on taking yourself seriously. This means seeking out criticism, recognizing that the most affirming thing anyone can do for you is demand that you push yourself further, show you the range of what you can do. It means rejecting attitudes of "take-it-easy," "why-be-so-serious," "why-worry-you'll-probably-get- married-anyway." It means assuming your share of responsibility for what happens in the classroom, because that affects the quality of your daily life here. It means that the student sees herself [or himself] engaged with her teachers in an active, ongoing struggle for a real education. "

-- Adrienne Rich, "Claiming an Education" (1977)

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