Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Rude teachers...

And I'm the student!

Begin rant:

I am adding my principal's license through a 3 class add-on program at ASU. Basically, the instructor we had in our last semester of the C&I program recruited some of us to join the add-on program (which she coordinates). So we did. And now we're wondering if we were crazy. Let me explain:

1st, I don't dislike the Professor we have this semester as a person. In fact, I got a good first impression of her when the class started. We were all very concerned that the course would require a large amount of work, but it hasn't turned out that way. However, because of what may only be a cultural discrepancy, I find our instructor to be a bit abrasive and sometimes downright rude.

Example: Tuesday evening, we started class at 5pm. At 6:40 we were allowed a 5 minute break (for all the ladies in the class, and the class is ALL female, this means a line in the restroom). Indeed, the line happened. And I stood in it. And waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Then it was my turn. I returned to the class immediately; I did not chit chat (unheard of, I know!) and was working my way to my seat when the instructor actually said to me, out loud in front of the rest of the class, "hurry up and sit down, we have to start class."

Uh, excuse me?

I'm 26 years old. I'm paying to be here, and I can't help that everyone has synchronized their bladders for fear of leaving during class and being called out for doing so. I mean, really, I'm an adult, and the instructor is an adult, and everyone in the class is an adult. Why, then, can't we all just act like adults? I wasn't intentionally being rude or disrespectful. Another example: when we give presentations, she openly criticizes the presenter at the conclusion.

Now, I have lots of education on being an educator (of both 9-12 students and adult learners), and if I know anything it's that we should give feedback that is candid, but discreet. We work on rubrics to show students exactly where they missed the mark; we don't just tell them what's wrong with them in front of everyone else.

And speaking of rubrics...

How, my teacher friends, does someone have a rubric with 4 different levels where the entire point value is 1 point total? When your only response to that question is "well if you make any mistakes you get a zero in that section", that means you aren't paying attention to what you're doing. If your only possible rubric options are 1 point or 0 points, shouldn't you only have 2 blocks on the rubric?

It's bad planning. It's bad education theory. It's bad teaching.

Period.

End rant.


1 comment:

Wes said...

I would suggest, perhaps, speaking with her in an after class situation. Let her know that she needs to make accommodations to her teaching methodologies. If a student cannot feel comfortable in a learning environment, then the student will not learn. It seems your professor may be a bit out of touch with the reality in regards to her students. I feel that she must look as you as peers, otherwise you can easily become jaded because of her brash and abrasive behavior.

Again, I would talk to her after class and address your concerns or....punch her in the ovaries.