Frustrations, Fox, and Falderal

I am having difficulty understanding why ESL writers have so many problems with the English language. I feel like my Westernized bringing up is binding. Is it enough to know that the differences exist? I get frustrated because of the cultural barrier. There are so many contradictions present when NES tutor ESL students and other things we talked about on Wednesday, so I am going to rant about a few things I do not understand from Helen Fox.

#1 - ESL students do not always want to change their style of thought and the way they write to fit American ideals.
ESL students do not come to America share their culture with the U.S. What can they possibly share with us that we haven't seen before? This is THE MELTING POT. We've got people from everywhere, and anyone who has been here long enough has pretty much assimilated into the Western style of thought and writing. Hence the popular Melting Pot, so symbolic of our culture. Society rejects non-conformists - I learned that in my IAH class last year. And yet some ESL students are not willing to open themselves up to this mindset because they don't want to lose their culture or change the way they think or act. Honestly, change should be an expected byproduct of coming to a foreign land. You become immersed into their customs, common sayings, and the way they think. I know this same process would happen to me if I went to a foreign country for a long time - ESL students should just accept the differences and, as bad as it sounds, start assimilating to a degree.

#2 - ESL students are not used to directive thinking.
This is definitely a product of my Westernized mindset. How can someone not just know how to get to the point? Stop beating around the bush? Go for the gold? Aim for the target? Stop going in circles and say it! Sure, sometimes I go off on tangents, and sometimes I get a little off topic. Sometimes I even drop subtle hints into what I am saying, occasionally for the reader's enjoyment. But it is so hard for me to accept that students do not know how to directly say what they want to say. ESL writers should start learning, as soon as possible, that we:
- assume the writer knows nothing
- get straight to the point early on in the paper
- show support and evidence, specifically citing legitimate sources
And if they do not accept these ways of thinking, then they simply are not going to do well at MSU...right?

#3 - Classes in the thousands level exist at MSU.
Wednesday was the first time I'd ever heard of these basic, basic writing classes. Are they for people who barely speak English? Or students who have just done so poorly in their writing classes in high school that they could not place into the Introductory writing course in their freshman year? Or merely someone who wants to go back to the basic skills of reading and writing - active reading, forming sentences, etc.? How can you attend an English university, in a country that only speaks English, while taking classes with professors who speak English, and pretty much not being able to function without speaking English? Why would a basic writing class exists at a university like Michigan State? I checked the enrollment on it too, for Fall semester. There is a TON of students enrolled in it! The average GPA at MSU is a 3.4 or something. Does that include their previous writing classes? When you come to an institution of higher education, are you not expected to already have these basic components under your belt?
I guess I could excuse WRA 1000 something's existence for students who come to study at MSU who have never been exposed to English writing styles before. But even then, why would they be coming to America so blindly? I can't see the logic in coming to a country that speaks in an unintelligible language and whose reasoning does not make sense to you.

These are such petty things, I know. I feel like a horrible person when they are just laid out like that. I feel constrained by my Westernized ways of thinking now, though. I am frustrated by my inability to see other's points of view. Or could this be discomfort and unwillingness from attempting to cross cultural boundaries that are not considered my norm?