I just

At the same time, from my personal experience the quality of the instructors took a sharp dive in college (state university for me :/). Most of the instructors had experience in the field and had nice credentials, but they couldn't effectively communicate their knowledge to the class. To me, that's pretty much as helpful as an instructor with effective teaching strategies but an empty pool when it comes to knowledge.

Also had a few instructors that just didn't teach. Show up, get a book read the book, take the tests. The learning came from the book, not from the instructors.

With all the being said, there were still quite a few gems in the group. My personal experience actually had me favoring the really new instructors. They were bright-eyed, optomistic and still had a passion for what they do. Some of the ones that have been doing it for a few years though... yeesh.

Sorry, but I disagree. Teachers recently are horrible for the most part. I'm not implying they used to be good either, simply that I didn't have experience with any before the 80s. I had a couple good teachers that actually cared about learning, and the rest were to caught up in whatever little system they had thrown together, were extremely childish in their ability to get caught up in school politics (most teachers catered to the popular kids ect). When you see a good teacher in action you suddenly realize how bad most of the others are.

Maso is right though you have to do it their way and just suck it up. I hate showing my work because it involves a bunch of time consuming steps that aren't necessary and doesn't help anyone understand WHY it works that way. What you end up getting is a few people that know how to do something specific, but change a couple of small things and they are lost because it doesn't fit the only pattern they know. The kids that instead learned why it worked a certain way and could think it out could deal with new stuff even when it didn't fit the precious formulas in the book.

Well, a lot of the point is that the teacher failed him for not showing his work and he felt it was such an unfair move, that he even reported it to .. what was it... the vice dean or something?


Pretend you are a teacher for a moment. You are teaching Applied Calculus II. Now, I've taken several years of Calc (can't remember a damn bit of it, but that's beside the point), and I know it's not quite as scary as everyone makes it out to be, but it is still one of the tougher maths. You have a student, who not only does not show ONE BIT of work on the test, but gets every single answer correct. Tell me that's not a little bit suspicious? Would you not fail a student on suspicion of cheating?

I got a little off tangent with my rant about lack of respect in school systems nowadays... but Droggen was complaining about how unfair it was his teacher failed him when he actually aced the test, and it seemed as though he was offended to be accused as cheating. I'm trying to shed a little bit of light as to WHY it happened, and why this teacher was not so out of line with his actions.

Of course I wouldn't hae failed him. I had no proof. If I was suspicious I'd have maybe asked him or tried to figure out if he had cheated, but failing just because he got the answers right with no work? The teacher should know if he was already a natural at calc or not anyway. Failing a student with 0 proof whatsoever that he was cheating just because he did exceptional is wrong.

I agree on your tangent that alot of kids don't have respect for teachers, but some of that stems from having so many teachers when you are young with no respect for students.

When I was in first grade my teacher constantly accused me of things that I didn't even know had happened. She'd call my mom, and I'd get grounded. Finally my mom figured it out and approached her and it turns otu the teacher just hated me because I didn't have to spend any time on her work and she blamed me for everythign even with no proof. She eventually admitted it. When I moved to NC my next teacher was even worse about it because in WV we started "gifted" in kindergarten, but in NC they wait until 3rd grade. Well my parents didn't want me suddenly taken out so I went like once a week or something with some other teacher and the main teacher constantly set me apart and talked trash about me to the other kids because she just assumed I would feel I was better then them and gloat, even though I hadn't. Truth is I understand that it was simply because of the way the states worked and that there were plenty of other kids there that would be in gifted as soon as the NC part started. WTF. Fast forward to grade 6 where I got a weeks time of lunch and recess in the principle's office because the teacher thought I was making fun of her. The truth was there was a fly on the projector she was using that projected a 3 foot fly on the wall. Hello 3 foot shadow fly + 6th grade = Yes I'm gonna laugh, but making fun of her? How fucking paranoid and I even explained it to her when she jerked me into the hall. 11th grade I had an English teacher that hated guys. She'd yell at us for talking without raising our hand, sharpening our pencils, or even if a girl near us was talking. The girls chatted away and did anything they wanted. It was so bad that even teh girls admitted it. Then I started hanging out with 2 of the teacher pets girls (unrelated from drama) and suddenly I was in! I could talk in class get up, take a drink anything I wanted. She wouldn't say a word to me anymore.

Those are just a few example. That type crap happened my entire time in school, and I'm not listing it for any pity of "oh woe is Vulash's childhood from school" because honestly it wasn't like it was bad =p I'm just showing how teachers are, and it happened like that to everyone not just me. And those are only a few of hundreds of examples. The few great teachers I had I learned alot and all the kids had respect for them without them even having to yell or ask. It's a shame they were so few.

Its like they don't even try to be fair they just take their first initial impression of a student and impose it on them the rest of the year.

Anyway not trying to be confrontational as I'm not even upset although rereading my post I guess it would look that way. I just wish teachers were more innovative and cared more about teaching then treating it like a job because one day I'll have kids and wish it was better. I think some of it can be blamed for lack of funding, along with poor teaching ciriculam in college. I just had a friend graduate with a teaching degree and their guidelines on exactly how he shoudl do it were so rugged and outdated. They didn't leave him any room to get creative or have fun with it. A teacher having fun with it is going to mean students listening more imo.

Difference of opinion then I guess, because if I was a teacher, and that situation happened, I would fail them in a heart beat.

I have been in classes where teachers will say flat out, "If I catch your eyes anywhere other than on your paper during this test, even if you are just stretching, I will take your test, tear it up and fail you. Cheating will not be tolerated."


I do agree that there are plenty of underqualified teachers, but I also am a firm believer in the thought that people will typically treat you with the same respect you show them. Please do not feel I am judging you, or Droggen, in any way. I am making generalizations here, but I've been around kids... hell, I'm only 23 so I still AM a kid to some people, so I know how us little fuckers act. If a teacher is too easy on the class, they will walk all over him/her. If a teacher is strict, and firm with the class, the class bitches about what a horrible person they are and how hard they have it.

I had a couple of teachers I disliked, but not once was I ever rude to any of them. I was a teacher's pet 100%, and you know what? I was never mistreated by a teacher. The moral here is not to suck up and brown nose to get treated nicely, but to understand that they are people too, and will respond as humans.

Disclaimer: I am sorry - I am really not out on some crusade on behalf of teachers. I am just tired of the attitudes and mentality of people in general. I would like to stress that this is NOT a personal attack on anyone on this board, and all of you do have very good, and valid points. This is just me whining about what I feel is the decay of society in general. Heh. More and more the old phrase, "Damn kids these days!" is becoming very true.

No offense taken, and I agree with you about respect. I also don't feel a teacher should be to lax because they will get walked on. The best teachers I had were firm, but they were fair (thats the key part) and they enjoyed what they taught.

I definately had my share of mean moments, and I had some teachers that didn't like me for good reason. I will admit those times were my fault. Alot didn't like me though because of their own personal problems. And others may not have liked me, but they were damn good teachers and I still respected them ;p The good ones don't have pets :D

I have *been* a teacher (English, not math), and I have no respect for teachers who try to box students into their standard methods of teaching rather than accept they may have an exceptional student on their hands. The school needs to be aware of things like this happening and do something about it.

I should note that I am no longer teaching because of the red tape inherent in the system and the resistance I met in trying to push outside of the standard teaching curriculum.