Spew alert!
Upon helping Student B for a few minutes, Student A discerned that Student B's mathematics skills were woefully inadequate for embarking upon a study of precalculus.
Student A (frowning with dismay): What math courses did you take in high school?
Student B (cheerfully): I had a hard time with Algebra I. Next, I tried Algebra II, but I failed. I took a class in function and did okay with that. I'm taking calculus now because I heard that calculus was easier.
A few weeks later, the day of the midterm exam...
Student B (euphorically): I'm going to get an A on this exam. My fourth grade sister tutored me over the weekend.
A community-college adviser's signature was necessary for each student's admission to classes, and many courses have prerequisites. Nevertheless, the precalculus class in which Student A and Student B are enrolled contains many students clearly incompetent to undertake the study of mathematics at that level — nearly half the class mired in this predicament. Concepts which stump the students include exponents (what they are called and how to work with them) and substituting a value for a variable.
The professor, seasoned but not close to retirement, is at a loss as to what to do. If he fails half the class, he likely loses his job and all benefits connected thereto. If he doesn't fulfill the requirements for the course, none of the students in the class will have the tools they need for their later studies in mathematics.
Thus we see the state of American education today.
6 comments:
This is the civil engineering course track, right?
All credits earned at this community college are supposed to transfer to ANY university in the state of Virginia -- and beyond.
Hell, for all I know, Student B is planning to be a nuclear physicist.
Wah hoo wah!
I'm going to get an A on this exam. My fourth grade sister tutored me over the weekend.
WTF? Why does a fourth grader know more than this idiot?
The professor, seasoned but not close to retirement, is at a loss as to what to do. If he fails half the class, he likely loses his job and all benefits connected thereto.
If all this professor cares about is keeping his job even if he or she screws up the future of not only these children but also the firms that have to hire these weaklings then I think the professor should be fired regardless.
This is effed up.
Nicoenarg
Nico,
This kind of pressure on teachers happens all the time! Even in private schools. Been there, but in one case, the director of the private school was a person of integrity and held the standard.
When I was working for the public school system, I lost my job in 1975 because I refused to pass the star football player. The principal was stunned that I'd rather be unemployed than pass a student with a course average less than 50%. The student frequently cut class and slept through the classes that he attended. Across the board! Not only in my class!
Today the biggest concern for teachers is "What will happen to my health insurance if I lose my job?"
When I was working for the public school system, I lost my job in 1975 because I refused to pass the star football player. The principal was stunned that I'd rather be unemployed than pass a student with a course average less than 50%.
And that's why if I were a parent I wouldn't be worried at all sending my kids to your classes. If my kid failed because he or she were a poor student, I'd thank you. If he or she passed even though they were poor I'd sue the sh*t out of you for ruining the kid's life.
It is the teacher's responsibility to teach kids, not make them feel all better. If teachers of today are worried about their health insurance more than the future of the children then they need to be fired and replaced.
Its not just the governments and school boards that need to be blamed here, parents of today don't give two sh*ts about what's happening to their kids in school.
Nicoenarg
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