Just interested in where you get your facts. In my area we all teach the MLA style and many of us writers. Alison: I think your experience is the rule rather than the exception. The people I have taught with in public schools appear never to have heard of MLA style, so, of course, they do not teach it. They have these formalaic rules, such as how many sentences go in a paragraph, how many paragraphs make an essay, where the thesis statement goes (like you indicated), etc. I find it all tedious and counterproductive...writing should be fun, creative, ongoing, and across the curriculum. Unfortunately, most public school teachers write very little; and when they do, it is stylized and uninteresting if not downright poorly executed. Helene Bev Sims 9th Pre-AP Bremerton, WA To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/