Blog Assignment 10

Morgan Bayda's Blog Post: An Open Letter to Educators

After reading Morgan Bayda's post and watching the video by Dan Brown, I will admit that I have had classes similar to the ones they describe. However, I won't go as far to say that I have encountered this type of classroom in every single one of my classes. At the University of South Alabama, it's true that there are certain classes that seem to draw a big crowd. These are usually the "General Studies" classes. Biology, Chemistry, American History, Pre-calculus, American Literature, and Public Speaking are just a few of these classes. In my freshman year, I took a biology class with about 100 students in it. Given the fact that our professor had at least three sections of classes like mine, I really didn't expect him to remember everyone's name. Learning the names of a classroom containing roughly thirty students can be tough enough...I'm sure the thought of memorizing approximately 300 names is slightly daunting.

As far as who holds "fault" for this recurring theme in higher education...I'm not really sure who that would be. The distant, unavailable, impersonal, and jaded professor is a truth that cannot be ignored; however, is it really their fault? Is there necessarily fault at all? Young, high school graduates come rushing to "university" to partake in the many exciting aspects of college, unaware that their presence is "just a number" (a common phrase among college students these days). Some may have an idea that each and every one of their professors will want to get-to-know them and guide them in their experience as a whole. In reality, this does happen. I have had many teachers who will obviously work hard to learn everyone's names in the class. The largest class I remember this happening in was about 25 people. I trust that these professors did the same thing in their other sections of about the same number. Returning to the idea of fault, I believe that many professors think students come to college in order to simply get a degree. The high number of students in certain General Studies is evidence of this trend. All I'm saying is maybe some professors don't think that students want to experience college for what it's meant to do, which is to make each student a more rounded, educated, and experienced person with a set of necessary skills to succeed in today's world.

In my mind, this is where we are right now. Many students are, in fact, just looking to get a degree and get out as quickly as possible! These are the classes of 150 students where the professor simply finds your name on your test and puts your score next to it in the online grade book. However, there is also another type of student who genuinely wants to learn. This student will seek out further information, form connections with professors, reach out to classmates for collaboration and help, and look inside to figure out what they truly want out of their education. Dan Brown mentioned that our education system was built on an old model. This is definitely true. This model may work for some, and drastically fall short for others. It's no news that each person learns differently and excels in various ways. Information's price is decreasing everyday, but I still think that experience holds value in the long run.

To be honest, I like it when a professor knows my name. The common phrase of teachers is "Remember, there's all of you, and then there's one of me. You only have to remember one name, while I have to remember all of yours!" Basically, I think that there is more pressure on teachers than students may think. While I would also like to see more teachers trying to have better relationships with their students, they may need a little help. Maybe if a professor saw that a student was really interested and wanted to build stronger relationships/connections, achieve higher learning, and create better communication, then we might see a shift in this trend.

Tom Johnson's Don't Let Them Take Pencils Home

I really enjoyed looking over Mr. Spencer's blog. Mr. Spencer seems to really care about approaching every angle of his students' education to achieve the best possible results in achievement and learning. I looked over some of the comments, and I agree with something that Lisa said on the topic of what children really do when they get home. She asked why should it matter that the children use the pencil to play Hang Man? At least they're not messing with drugs, crime, or violence. Simply put, there are worst things these children could be doing. And I also liked what Tom Johnson said in response to Gertrude's fear that this may indeed be what the pencils were being used for: "There's probably some learning that's taking place that we don't realize." I also looked at the post "the enemy isn't a person", and I thought that it was an interesting look at the bigger picture. We are all human.

Two Questions That Can Change Your Life

This video by Daniel Pink certainly gets you to think about what you want to do with your life. I like the question "Was I better today than I was yesterday?" My mom used to say something somewhat similar to me as a child, and it was "Every day, you start with a clean slate. It's almost like a 'do-over'. Take what happened yesterday, and learn from it. If something happened that made you upset, don't dwell on it. Learn from your (and others') mistakes. Every day has the possibility to be wonderful. It's all about attitude." I think that the questions presented in this video are great motivational techniques. Here is my sentence:

She listened and learned, watched and tried, failed and succeeded, laughed and loved, and appreciated each day so that she could help others do the same.