Damnit teacher, shut up already

[RuneDragoon]

My professional writing teacher enjoys interrupting and talking about himself. Needless to say that due to this, we are not one, but three classes behind on our lessons. (Holy cow, in the place I'm at, thats REALLY BEHIND!!)

I want to say it, but I cant... but it is either Damnit teach, shaddup, or, shut up and teach. I aint paying over $20k tuition to hear the story of your life. So just shut up and teach about this grammar stuff I have to know.

You know, like, I didnt learn it in high school, and your choice in textbook sucks (The topic is very dry) too.

/end small flaming teacher roast rant

[Pharcellus]

Go see your advisor and tell them of your problem. See if you can get transferred into one of the other classes. If that fails, go to the head of the English department with some of your fellow classmates and express your concerns. Failing that, go to the Dean and express your concerns. Failing that, I'd start looking for another college to go to.

[awdz]

Another thing to consider, it is not high school anymore... You can use the time to learn how to work independently of direct instruction. Annoying to learn in this fashion when you pay high tuition, but a useful skill to develop.

He talks about himself? Pander to the egomaniac. Use his story as the basis for some of your assignments, and see if it helps toward an easier A. If he gives you a lousy grade, turn it back to him by saying, "But this is what you told us about in class!" Maybe then he'll get the idea that his self-centered stories are more distracting than he realizes.

[RuneDragoon]

another problem is that this is the only class for this subject (One of two only classes this term, where other classes have other days and other instructors). Although he likes himself, he doesn't accept brown nosing papers that boost his ego. >.>

At least I have a textbook to attempt to learn from, however dry. "The Deluxe Transitive Vampire". Look it up. Its amusing but confusing. Stupid book.

[velveeta]

rune, everyone here has given you the same advice i would. i just want you to know that i feel you, and that i have had the exact same probs with teachers (note the plural...). one teacher had me sooo peeved, i had to write a poem for him....

AL'S SONG

There is a man, I'll call him AL

Who has me so frustrated.

It scares me some, I'm afraid to tell

How my pacifist thoughts mutated.



I'd like to see him torn limb from limb

Between four galloping horses.

Or watch the lightened eyes dim

As he explodes from internal forces.



In the desert, buried in hot sands,

And covered in sweet young honey,

Watching the ants devour his hands,

I think would be quite funny.



Tossed into the River Rouge,

Lead weights on his ankles.

Only fitting for such a stooge-

His attitude still rankles.



Thrown in a vat of boiling oil-

Or in a pit of snakes-

Squeezed to death in a python's coil-

Hey!! Whatever it takes!!



I know I sound bitter, and rude, and raw,

But that is just today.

I may need help to obey the law!

So, my friends, stay me from the fray!!

[gopher65]

I took beginner spanish as a summer course (bad idea for someone who can barely speak English, my first language:P) and my teacher was just like that! 3 hours of class every day and a 1.5 hour lab, and a good.... .... 75% maybe? of every class was spent with him telling stories about how he'd been to this bar, right? And there had been this cute chick there right?

Suffice to say I dropped the class despairing of ever learning Spanish. And I never have (course that was only a few years ago). Didn't like that guy. Fortunately the class wasn't a total loss. I learned (learnt?) that it is a bad idea to take a language class which compresses and already overpacked semester into 3 short weeks. It just isn't possible for my mind to fully absorb that much information in that short a time. I need time to assimilate stuff, not just cram for tests.

[Rawdge]

Velveeta, that was awesome!

[Oakleif]

The very first day of college, first class, I walk in and sit down, with my calculus text and notebook ready. The professor walks in, picks up some chalk, turns to us, and says "And so, ... " and I entirely lose track of what he's saying because my mind is thinking... "And implies something came before. This is calc 2, but did I miss a day? Is this the second lecture? No one else seems to be concerned...I must have missed a class. Oh hell. Beginning at a new school and already I've screwed up..."

By the time I realized I hadn't really missed a class (thank God for day and date on my watch) and that he likely always started class with those words, he was busy talking about eunuch functions. Mind derailled again. "I know what a eunuch is, and I know what a function is, and they've got nothing to do with each other. What is this guy talking about. How do you castrate an equation?!?"

That afternoon, I looked at the section in my text book to see where this guy was getting this stuff, and after reading it through twice, I had an epiphany. He was trying to pronounce "unique function" and failing miserably because he was an eastern european for whom English was a second, or probably third, language.

Needless to say, I got really good at figureing out stuff for myself from the textbook, and formed a study group with a couple of other students in the course.

So, while the part of me that's a teacher is really cringing about this thread, I know exactly what you mean about some college professors.

[gopher65]

Hahahahaha great story Oakleif! Was this professor giving the lecture that wasn't in their native tongue, or did he just slur his words?

Kinda off topic, but it is my firm opinion that the Researcher = Professor model used by most (all?) universities is silly. I think that they should hire *real teachers*, and let the researchers do their own thing. Researchers would then have more time to bring in grant money for the university, and good teachers would hopefully cause more students to be drawn to that university, thereby increasing, or at least maintaining, their tuition/government-subsidy levels.

Then at least students would get a half-decent classroom experience in college. Cause the way things are now is not good.

[Oakleif]

Yes, he was Polish, giving a lecture in English. I've found that certain departments tend to be heavy in foreign professors: mathematics, sciences, and philosophy tend to heavy with foreign professors, while English, History, and Business tend to not have many foreign professors.

I agree with the research bent though, particular for larger universities. Small colleges tend to higher those who are teaching oriented, but then again, that's one reason why I'm a high school teacher and not a professor.