Three major items to which teachers of U.S. history survey courses in 2- and 4-year colleges and universities must attend are discussed. First, they must work to develop in their students basic learning and study skills and self-discipline. This means such mundane but essential things as adhering to course deadlines, maintaining grading standards, and seeing that students take remedial or developmental courses if needed. Second, teachers must require meaningful amounts of reading and writing in their courses. In a recent survey, the Texas Advisory Council for Technical-Vocational Education cited an "incomplete and/or poorly filled out job application form" as the third major reason for rejecting job applicants. The employer survey also cited the "ability to write and speak effectively" as the number one area needing improvement among job applicants. Lastly, teachers must show students that constructive change is possible since many students believe that the national and world situation is hopeless. Students should be exposed to the many examples in history which show how people have brought about change. (RM)