tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10180370.post5804346964948122412..comments2023-06-14T01:48:52.385-07:00Comments on Things I Find Important: Nobody's basementDr. Lisahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11736304410226354515noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10180370.post-83890205875474737512008-06-29T16:18:00.000-07:002008-06-29T16:18:00.000-07:00Sarah - I feel that way about Prof. X, too. I was...Sarah - I feel that way about Prof. X, too. I was frustrated that the article miss the bigger problem - Prof. X teaches intro English classes, which should not present a huge stumbling block to prepared students. But while Prof. X finds it easy to say "maybe not everyone should go to college," the bigger issue is "why aren't high schools giving these kids the education they need to succeed?"Dr. Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11736304410226354515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10180370.post-2106813389597769582008-06-29T16:06:00.000-07:002008-06-29T16:06:00.000-07:00Sounds like he's transferring his own feelings of ...Sounds like he's transferring his own feelings of inadequacy and failure onto his students. HE is the loser. Ugh.Sarah Prineashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16655290885417713813noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10180370.post-22153043186533515472008-06-26T18:35:00.000-07:002008-06-26T18:35:00.000-07:00Cousin Ellen - thanks for posting your experiences...Cousin Ellen - thanks for posting your experiences. I think high expectations and compassion are a good combination of traits for an educator. I'm glad SD Mesa treated you well!<BR/><BR/>Welcome, Dr. Pion! It is true that prerequisites are hard to, um, enforce. Just because the student has passed the class doesn't mean that they have acquired the skills. At one point, as part of the course description for an astronomy lab, we were able to insert the phrase "working knowledge of algebra," which does seem to get the point across a little better. I'll respond a bit more on your blog about this issue.Dr. Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11736304410226354515noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10180370.post-62763705059696069122008-06-26T16:23:00.000-07:002008-06-26T16:23:00.000-07:00Good for you, Lisa! When I was a re-entry student ...Good for you, Lisa! <BR/><BR/>When I was a re-entry student at SD Mesa College in the late 80's, I would probably have been Prof X's personification of a failure: 38-year old immigrant woman taking evening classes and getting an F on her first essay. <BR/><BR/>Under extra-curricular activities I might have listed "sole business owner" and "caregiver to a terminal cancer patient," but that would just have been a cop-out in the Prof's eyes. <BR/><BR/>Unlike the unfortunate Ms. L., I had some of the most wonderful and caring instructors at Mesa. They were truly dedicated to their students, with high expectations but also with great compassion and an understanding of how students learn. <BR/><BR/>Forward to the mid 90's. I earned my BA Cum Laude from UCSD and two Master's degrees, and know that if I can do it, Ms. L. can do it. She just needs REAL teachers.<BR/><BR/>Cousin EllenAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10180370.post-69719180427277112482008-06-26T15:21:00.000-07:002008-06-26T15:21:00.000-07:00Followed you here from FSP's blog. I teach at a CC...Followed you here from FSP's blog. <BR/><BR/>I teach at a CC, yet my experiences are more like yours and FSP than they are of Prof X. In particular, our faculty generally find that students in the night classes (other than ones who are stuck there because all other classes were full) are highly motivated and make teaching fun. But I also see my share of the others, and I try my best to wake them up and engage them in learning. <BR/><BR/>My concern, voiced at the very bottom of a May 18 blog mainly about the Norfolk State tenure denial, was that neither college had done a proper job of identifying problems requiring remediation. I don't know if a tiny for-profit "college of last resort" even bothers with this or has any standards, but even a CC that works hard at this can end up passing students who are not ready for the next class. <BR/><BR/>My view is that a major part of the problem is that students don't grasp the meaning of "prerequisite", so they choose study methods that become self defeating (even in "prep" classes). A recent discussion on my blog generated some interesting suggestions, which were <A HREF="http://doctorpion.blogspot.com/2008/06/basics-for-prerequisite.html" REL="nofollow">summarized for further consideration</A> as I plan for fall. I welcome any feedback you might offer.Doctor Pionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12513786840852469648noreply@blogger.com