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For the first time, I last week e-mailed a columnist to thank him for his contribution (Gary Day, February 16). I've always found that the more you expect of students, the more you get; and it seemed to me that Day was speaking for those who desperately want their students, even those who are disengaged and uninterested, to engage with their texts and to develop in understanding and knowledge - true pedagogy, rather than the empathy that seems sometimes to pass for pedagogy these days.

And yet Jonathan Baldwin (Letters, February 23) takes the moral high ground and says that people like him who "take teaching seriously" will condemn Day. Well, I take teaching seriously, and I support Day (and I think, Dr Baldwin, that your letter, not Day's column, was the "rant" - it's just a matter of nuance and style).

Sue Powell
Senior lecturer in English language and literature, Salford University