“It’s in the curriculum.” I have said this to my students. However, this is ironic because I had a hand in revising the curriculum. It’s not acceptable. No more apologies.
The alternatives to apology listed on p. 124 remind me of my bulletin board-Change your words; change your mindset. I guess it works for teachers, too!
Last year I had a group of less than motivated students. When it came time to do Romeo and Juliet, I used the alternative text. I told myself we would never be able to get through the original text. Now, I wonder if I really did for them or was it for me? The alternate text was easier to understand, but I robbed them of “the hard necessary to scholarship (122). If I am going to make my students talk standard English and in complete sentences, I should not be introducing them to alternative texts. It’s in the curriculum for a reason!
I saved this a couple of years ago. Fits in nicely to Chapter 3! I Don’t Know
Learning Curve Now 
Your post reminds me of how I learned to swim, Jane. My dad didn’t toss me in the deep end; he taught me rudimentary skills in the shallow end at first. How much struggle do we allow students to endure before they drown in despair? We definitely don’t want to keep them in the kiddie pool. I wonder what your students would think if they read some of the original Shakespeare after the Lite version.
P.S. – I like the sayings on your bulletin board, especially “It’s good enough.”
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My dad did the same thing, Steve. I learned to love to swim but my brothers not so much.
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