Grades aren't equivalent to the karma system? Good grammar and style aren't community norms in a college philosophy class? Edit: Well, maybe it's just me, but I'd be embarrassed to make such basic grammar errors in any situation, whether I was 'advised not to worry' or not.

Upon reflection, what I really meant by "I'm shocked by how poorly some of my peers write" is "I used to be surprised at how poorly they write, and even though I have come to expect it, it still bothers me."

Now this I agree with. I had the unfortunate experience of an entry-level English class that practiced peer review / cooperative editing; it can be effectively summed up as this repeated fifteen or so times over the course of a semester.