Other Rants:
|
|
EDUCATION
Students have much too high a regard for their professors. Professors are just people with a whole mess of education and a title by their names, and it doesn’t mean they’re a higher rank of being. They make mistakes, they can act arrogantly, and they’re not always very good at their jobs. They’re used to being in control, and don’t take kindly to having
their authority questioned. But education, to be worth anything at all, must be
a give-and-take between students and professors. Most students, out of
uncertainty, fear, or just plain laziness, lay back and let their professors’
words go unchallenged. They simply take notes, with an eye to trying to
figure out what’ll be on the final exam. That’s just common sense, but it leaves the student in a passive position, and in my experience the best education takes place when the student is actively confronting the material.
So here’s my recommendation: at least once a week, DISAGREE WITH A PROFESSOR.
That’s right. Raise your hand and (civilly and respectfully, of course), disagree. Of course, in order to do so, you’ll have to have considered the class material carefully—but since you’re going to have to do that anyway, do it now, so you don’t have to
cram when the final comes. So after you disagree, watch what happens.
Do your professors get all antsy or do they show you the proper respect?
Do they consider your position in full detail or simply tell you you’re wrong?
Do they admit the possibility that you might be right? Most importantly of all,
do they seem pleased or threatened? If your professors are happy to engage in a full dialogue, then
they are deserving of your respect. If not, you know you’ve found someone who should be in another line of work.
|
