Quote:
Originally Posted by ellimak
Really? I thought freshmen were usually really eager about their work since they don't really know the tricks of the trade yet; I used to do my notes twice so I could maximize my knowledge retention. The older I got, the more crafty I became and the less work I did. The only thing that I neglected freshman year was my in-class participation. I was so shy and insecure that I barely spoke. By the end of sophomore year though, no one could shut me up!  |
Yeah, I'm just kind of venting. There are some really excellent first-year students for that very reason.
I think it makes a difference where you are. I teach at a branch campus of the University of Texas, down on the border. The students from this area come from high schools that are barely functioning. Many of them are the first people in their family to go to college. They often come from poor homes where they have to work many hours to stay in school. The whole machismo phenomenon discourages intellectualism. On top of that, the University admits students that do not meet the minimum requirements for admission in order to cash in their tuition checks before they fail out. If they can survive their first year, many of them learn to keep up and do well in subsequent years.
I have taught at two major universities and things are better but not as you'd expect. Students expect to be spoon fed information that they can memorize. I suspect that teaching a private liberal arts college full of go-getters would be an eye-opening experience for me.
The truth is that I am kind of happy with the problems that this area presents to me. I feel I am doing some good when a student snaps out of his or her apathy and catches on. Some of my best students could barely write a complete sentence when they started.
Many years ago I was admitted to graduate study at Vanderbilt. On my visit, I noticed that students were driving to class in sports cars worth twice my father's yearly salary. I very quickly judged that students in such a place would likely earn very good grades but not really have an investment in what they are learning.