Foundations of Rhetoric

I had a very hard time getting through Chapter 1. Not only have I taken countless classes that reflect on the foundations of rhetoric, but the author did not present it in an interesting way. I did not gain any additional insight when reading the chapter and I was left wondering what I could take away from the reading that related to the Teaching Writing course, as a whole.
Within the reading, I reflected on a couple of things. First, Isocrates proposed that three necessary factors make a good rhetorician: talent, instruction, and practice. Of these three, Isocrates felt that talent was the most important. I am interested in seeing if you, my classmates,think talent is the most significant.
Personally, I don't agree with Isocrates' belief. In fact, I think that talent may be the least essential characteristic. Rather, I think that instruction is very important. In order to improve the process and the performance, an individual must know what is expected of them and what they need to do in order to be successful. Following proper insruction, potential rhetoricians must practice, practice, practice! This idea applies to a wide variety of things. In order to excel at something, individuals must go above and beyond what is expected of them. And, lastly, talent is also something to consider. This factor is not something that can be taught. Instead, it is an innate ability.
Next, I wanted to reflect on our society, giving inadequate attention to composition in classrooms. As the author of the text noted, conditions within schools have become worse, in regard to writing classes. Colleges and society blame the public schools and, unfortunately, "most new teachers appear to abandon nearly everythin they learned about writing pedagogy after 2 years or less of full-time teaching" (Williams, 41). This is alarming and really enabled me to understand the desperate need for proper writing instruction across our country. Teachers must show children exactly why composition is so important. It is one of the most practical skills an individual can have and we must educate that to our nation's youth.