So I realize there are legal issues about doing this, but below is an entire student response to an assignment asking them to write an op/ed to an audience of college STUDENTS. Am I right to be offended--by both the argument and the writing which includes all sorts of errors I addressed (apparently unengagingly) on multiple occasions? Wake up Teachers! Many have heard students complain: “I got a bad grade in that class because of the professor.” I know I have plenty of times. Surprisingly, as a current student at San Diego State University, I have encountered two professors who were uninteresting within the past year. And yes, I received a low grade. It was worse when I was a student at a community college in Sacramento for four years because I had at least three of those “boring” professors every semester. For instance, I remember taking a chemistry class with a professor who was monotone, spoke horrible English, spoke too fast and conceived no student interaction. I fell asleep almost every attending class and lacked motivation. Eventually, I could not bear any longer that I dropped out of the class within a week of dullness. I am not implying that community colleges have more uninteresting professors than Universities because there are “bad” teachers and professors at every college. Maybe Universities just have higher standards for professors. But, why should students encounter any? Although, I do admit that college is suppose to teach students responsibility and learn from their own actions, so I never try to blame a professor for a bad grade. It is still possible to acquire information and maintain a good grade from boring lectures to books only if we commit ourselves to do it. For a student to depend on a professor in order to receive a good grade does show a lack of accountability because we are responsible to motivate ourselves for a higher education. That is why we signed up in the first place, right? If we ask ourselves, “How bad do I want the degree?,” then we would take the initiative to do what we can in meeting our career goals. Unfortunately, not every student is consistently driven to teach them the subject straight from a book. John Swapceinski, founder of Ratemyprofessor, quoted in an article, “He Will Crush You Like an Academic Ninja”, saying “Students are demanding more information because they see themselves as customers who want the most value for their dollars.” Likewise, I hope I do not pay thousands of dollars for a lame professor to just reiterate what he or she said from the book. I expect more learning interaction from every professor. This is why college students will link on to Ratemyprofessor, a national professor-ranking website, so they can choose the best professor for their specific needs before enrolling in a class. Students have reached to the point where they have to hope and pray for a quality professor. And by relying on a website to pick our “perfect professors” is quite sad, because all professors should be readily excited to teach and provide students their best scholarly abilities. However, any college or a university can hire a professor with excellent scholarly ability. So, that is no longer a major issue. Whether it is applying for a job at the White House or Mcdonalds, any individual can make their resume look shiny and pretty, but the quality of the job really depends how well they can perform it. For example, there is a difference between a doctor who is “book smart” with poor patient care outcomes as opposed to an assistant who performs socially well with all patients. Instead of a doctor telling me just my results, I would rather see an assistant who is excited to sit there in front of me for more than five minutes and educate me on my health. Similarly, a teaching job takes more than a professor’s credentials to dynamically perform. Students all want to be placed in an interesting and congenial classroom environment so that we can also enhance our interests in the class. If the professor is excited to teach, then I will most likely be excited to listen and learn. A classroom full of curiosity and excitement stimulates a strong correlation between the professor and the students. Also, a professor who is enthusiastic and passionate about what they teach shows a lot about their character and profession. Their willingness to engage let students know that they actually care about their job; they care about their students education. It may seem like we do not care being in class, especially on the first day, but maybe we are just waiting for the professor to bring the thrill to us first. This is because it is sometimes difficult for students to participate in class and stay motivated throughout the day, therefore professors should have the idea of trying to help students come to class and participate. We absolutely look for that quality- a professor who has a great personality that may also implement unique teaching skills such as in-class activities. For instance, one of the most challenging yet favorite classes I took so far was Biopsychology; although the subject was hard, my professor was entertaining, outspoken and provided many in-class activities that helped me retain the information better. In-class activities that require movement or interaction with other students embeds information to our brains better because it is muscle memory. So, where is the excitement teachers?! Do you really think students will listen to your boring voice while teaching a Powerpoint lecture for three hours? We look for a certain quality and variation in a professor because it helps us stay motivated. Professors are not only hired to teach the subject, but should eagerly engage with their students too. If not, then why are you teaching? So, do yourself a favor by thinking outside the box and not only incorporate your trained knowledge that we already know but your creativity so that it helps us learn, attain and grow. The professors’ performance does impact our learning abilities. So next time you see your students falling asleep in class, please do not be discourage. Maybe the professors need to wake up in their classes.
Posted on: Thu, 07 Aug 2014 02:58:29 +0000
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