It's a sad, sad situation. And it's getting more and more absurd.
Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word by Elton John
Written by Elton John and Bernie Tauplin. From the album Blue Moves, MCA (1976)
Today was just one of those days where I just did not feel like teaching. My law students were supposed to submit a rough draft of their research paper. Only two students out of 15 submitted their drafts. I give them credit for submitting the draft, even if there are mistakes. I want them to make their mistakes now. That way I am not reading a ton of garbage later. So I sent them away. I told them that they had until Monday to submit their drafts. But honestly, I just can't deal with them anymore.
I have been teaching for two years now. And for the first time, I feel disillusioned. I think the reason is that at my college, the instructors have lost their authority. The HMFICs have instituted policies that are better suited for a high school than a college. The students know this, and they feed from it. If a student is disrespectful to an instructor, that instructor is powerless to do anything. If she does, that student immediately runs to one of the HMFICs and bitches and moans until the student gets his or her way. And instructors are left to deal with the carnage.As instructors, we are told that this is in the name of retention. Gah, I hate that word with a passion. At the end of the day, that is all that really matters, at least to the HMFICs. But what does it really mean? Warm bodies no matter what the cost?
Husband says that I am fighting a losing battle. He thinks that I should not waste my energy on convincing those in power that the system is screwed up.
I guess I will end this entry with another quote:
Will a change come while we’re waiting? Everyone is waiting…
Witness by Sarah McLachlin
Written by Sarah McLachlin. From the CD Surfacing, Arista (1996).
About Me
- Seeking Solace
- I am a college professor who is fumbling through the chaos of academia, rheumatoid arthritis, working on my PhD and just being a 40 something woman. I used to be a lawyer, which made me a snarky little person. I have a wonderful Husband and a German Shepherd named Junior. They help keep me sane.
Paws to Consider
My Sister's Keeper
3 comments:
I so know where you are coming from. From reading your blog, I think we teach at the same (or at least a very similar) school. I don't want to jeopardize your anonymity, so I won't post any details here. But if you're interested in finding out if I'm right, you can e-mail me at kr306@yahoo.com.
Administrators don't really understand "retention." They think that this means bowing to every whim and wish of the students to make them happy so that they keep signing up for classes. If they learn anything in the process, then that's OK, too.
I know of a number of colleagues who are at institutions like your's. We have another campus that runs that way. Thankfully, the administrators on our campus worked their way into administration from academics. Our president, even, teaches a class on the side every couple of years just to keep in touch with what is going on in the classroom. So, the administration if very supportive of faculty, and we don't have to deal with as much of the crap that you do. Of that I am thankful. So, take heart. There are institutions out here that haven't completely caved in to the "retention" mode, yet. Oh, and by maintaining high standards rather than worrying about retention for retention's sake, we seem to actually have better retention figures than our sistor campus where they forsake quality for happiness of the students. Hmm.
That might not help you directly. But, perhaps if someone could actually research the statistics for retention, y'all might find something useful to take to the administrators.
It sounds like the administration has almost adopted the "students as customers" mindset. Yuck!
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