> the whole situation would have been much more fruitful if the teacher had been or had engaged with an experienced Wikipedia editor
She did:
> I was put in touch with a Wikipedian here at the University of Michigan who would be able to help
Now, to your other issue:
> the problem with Wikipedia causing this is a PR problem, not a problem with the culture of Wikipedia.
Both problems exist, as the above refutation of your statement makes clear. There is denial among Wikipedians that there is a cultural problem, and that denial comes in the insidious form of not noticing facts that would counter your position.
There is also a public relations problem, in that people really, really need a stronger advisory before embarking on a Wikipedia edit that there is a measurable risk of reversion or deletion, and first contact with bureaucracy will almost certainly be unpleasant. To mitigate that, the new editor should be very strongly advised to skim the rules and expect the neutrality of the administration to feel harsh. Like coming up against laws of physics while rock-climbing harsh.
She did:
> I was put in touch with a Wikipedian here at the University of Michigan who would be able to help
Now, to your other issue:
> the problem with Wikipedia causing this is a PR problem, not a problem with the culture of Wikipedia.
Both problems exist, as the above refutation of your statement makes clear. There is denial among Wikipedians that there is a cultural problem, and that denial comes in the insidious form of not noticing facts that would counter your position.
There is also a public relations problem, in that people really, really need a stronger advisory before embarking on a Wikipedia edit that there is a measurable risk of reversion or deletion, and first contact with bureaucracy will almost certainly be unpleasant. To mitigate that, the new editor should be very strongly advised to skim the rules and expect the neutrality of the administration to feel harsh. Like coming up against laws of physics while rock-climbing harsh.