Shitty College Professors Options

[Voodoo-Lady]

Before I send a letter I've written regarding the shittiest instructor I've ever met in my life to the department dean, exactly how futile is it? The professor is tenured, which makes him untouchable, right? 15 other students have formally complained already, this semester alone, more than that have just dropped the course and walked away. His rating on Rate-Your-Professor testifies to his shitty reputation dating back as far as 2002, the same complaints over and over. Wish I'd known to consult this in advance. It's not only about protecting my 4.0 - I'd accept the opportunity to earn a B in this course just to be done with it but this sorry son of a bitch is FAILING EVERYONE. I'm not kidding. The average score on the first test was 62, the average on the second test was 49 ! He refuses to accept that his whole class failing (I'm not nearly the only honor student) is a direct reflection of his piss poor teaching skills. He responds that the deficit is in the students' "learning", which I would be inclined to agree since we're not 'learning' a goddamn thing, as evidenced - but what he means, he's quick to add, is that we're failing in our "responsibility" to learn. Again, this isn't a classroom full of flunkies or babes in the woods. Everyone I've spoken with has encountered tough professors, I know I have. This is beyond being tough. This is not challenging, its impossible. I dropped the class today, clearly there is no chance for me to succeed with this asshole.

I wouldn't wish this on anyone but if you've had a bad experience, do tell. Maybe I'll laugh about this someday, right now I could pinch his fucken head off !

[Voodoo-Lady]

I do appreciate your response and I’ll allow that sometimes what you need to hear isn’t what you want to hear. You may be right that this is the harsh reality of it. I would still disagree that it should be, but in terms of how it is vs. how I perceive it ought to be, your points are taken.

And I’ll allow that at any level, it’s a student’s responsibility to learn the material - but it cannot possibly be solely the student’s, the instructors role must be to facilitate that learning by presenting the material in a relevant and comprehensive manner.

I don’t have an arbitrary expectation to ‘ace’ anything in the context you’ve applied of lacking a willingness and capability to put forth exhaustive efforts, availing on my own. I wouldn’t have gotten this far with this track record of success with that kind of negligent approach, and I am not convinced that it is unreasonable of me to expect that the investment of my time in lecture would offer (not provide in the context of here you go its handed to you in a neat package with a ribbon on top) a perspective of the material that is conducive to the level being taught, and I do emphasize being taught.

Indeed, we have all in essence been self-taught in everything we know, to the extent that we are the masters of our own minds as much as our own destinies (less dramatically, outcomes) and no one but ourselves can organize and apply the network of our minds, but our instructors do have an obligation, in assuming the role of an instructor for the subject matter, to enhance and stimulate the process by applying their skill, presuming they possess one, of teaching.

Teaching is a skill in and of itself. It is a skill that I have an immense respect for, in large part because I believe that not just anyone can do it. Being knowledgeable, even at the level of expertise, does not automatically a competent teacher make.

I have no problem being accountable, I will own failure when it belongs to me. I’m damn well not accustomed to failure, so perhaps I’ve gained something from this experience after all. Not a lesson in getting familiar with failure because I’ll be damned, but perhaps I need to re-measure my big girl pants before I endeavor this course again with another instructor because I’ll allow that even with a shitty professor, and I’m going to have to insist he is, a good student has the potential to prevail on their “own”, regardless of whether the necessity for that is right or wrong. I probably exhausted enough energy being pissed off that I could have applied to overcoming this.

I don't regret venting here, but I think I'll forgo that letter to the dean.