I am not shocked at how pathetic so many college “professors” are with regard to their preparedness to teach, especially now when so many students are learning by distance. They have no conception of pacing, time management or thought regarding use of e-learning platforms. They cannot explain anything, preferring to inundate their students with work that is little more than busy work, intended to do just that, keep them busy, rather tha understand pacing and, you know, actual teaching. I’ll take a good high school teacher over most of them any day of the week.
So many of them are woefully unprepared for the art that is teaching, its staggering. Knowledge itself does not make one a good teacher or disseminator of information. Teaching is a skill and an ART. Being a professor does NOT mean you abrogate your responsibility to teach, to perfect the art, it should be the opposite. You should be the expert at teaching. What the hell happened to so-called higher education?
Passing off your teaching responsibilities to your TA’s is not teaching. In fact, those TA’s are worse, concerned with getting their own degree rather than actually teaching students in their charge. Hiding in your office while doing “research” is not acceptable. Loading down students with what amounts to little more than busy work is criminal, and tantamount to theft, especially when one considers the price of college now (an entirely different discussion that needs to happen – I would even go so far as to say a revolution is necessary – non -violent of course). You’re responsibility is to TEACH, not hand out projects, worksheets, and readings by the ton. You should know how to disseminate information via electronic means…THAT IS YOUR JOB!! Come out of the stone age and become what you “profess” you are…a teacher!
Universities should be mandated to give back…MANDATED…room and board during this time. This should not even be a question. If they don’t, it will be clear…just another money-grab by over-priced and over-hyped universities.
What was once an honor and achievement, to be a college graduate, has become little more than a ponzi scheme, with students and families footing the bill. This high school to college pipeline must stop, and universities held accountable for the pathetic professors who “profess” to teach and do little more than nothing, or worse yet, foster their own political agenda. There are alternatives, and good ones. Trade schools are hardly spoken of for our kids as they’ve been convinced that manual labor is beneath them. A great living and great careers can be had via that means, and should be spoken of by high schools and parents alike, if nothing more than an alternative…and a great one at that.
Are there good professors? Yes, of course, but those numbers are few and far between. When companies no longer require a degree for employment but rather focus on the qualifications of the individual and their willingness to be taught, we will make progress dismantling a system that plunges our students into years of debt. Companies need to evaluate work ethic as a criteria, being willing to invest in that person. Only then will we finally be able to break the back and the hold that these universities have on our kids and families.