Friday, May 22, 2009

A Helpful Teaching Hint

Tired of listening to ad hominems directed toward Arabs? Tired of watching students text while you try desperately to get them to like poetry? Here's your salvation: teach 'issues.' Issues are great because they let students sound off on the most asinine of subjects, topics that are not necessarily relevant and anecdotes that meander, end abruptly and have little to no merit. So next time you find yourself in a funk, ask one simple question: Where were you and how did you feel when you heard/saw/knew of _________ (9/11, Columbine, Social Networking Sites, a suicide at your high school, a friend with a drug and/or alcohol problem)? All you have to do next is sit back and nod and look sympathetic and point when students raise their hands. Reminder: When students eventually fall back into ad hominems directed toward Arabs, a good segue back to the Aristotlean Triangle will help you feel like you actually did your job.

Rating: 60%

12 comments:

laurie said...

Did you know you're rate my professor profile only gives you one hotness point? Where were you and how did you feel when you found out about this single hotness point?

Viking Andrew said...

Which Ratemy are you looking at? Check this. I'm totally academic hot.

Anonymous said...

English teachers/profs are usually the best because they know how to communicate. Science/engineering/maths profs are the worst. Most of them just grunt.

laurie said...

@VA: I'm not sure that three = totally academic hot. Also, I suspect you made up some of those reviews cos when I checked that like a month ago you had a one, buddy.

@anon: I only ever had one or two non english or math profs (tested out of those other bs classes, holla!), but yeah, I'd say that's fairly accurate. The only problem with the "communicative" types is that they are "communicating" with every co-ed that will talk to them. Holla!

Anonymous said...

@ Laurie

Your comment reminded me of my Psych 101 prof. He was an Englishmen who wore an ascot tie and had a huge gut. He thought the tie and accent made him hot. And maybe he was. He tried to "communicate" with all 200 or so co-eds in the class. Some of the fun girls got surprisingly high grades.

Viking Andrew said...

@Laurie,

Or maybe students review profs toward the end of a semester...

3/4 ain't bad, as the song goes.

John said...

I agree, but would add that in my experience, the students who aren't engaged usually haven't done the reading because they were up all night drinking Bud Light and trying to get into the pants of some other spoiled, gorgeous and functionally illiterate young adult.

Nothing gets students burning the academic candle at both ends like a quick content-based quiz at the beginning of every class or two. 50% of final grade. No rewrites.

Viking Andrew said...

I was just about to say: If John ever makes it back to that Dell, he can tell us what he thinks of students who can't handle abstract thought. He told me about it at the bar. It was hilarious.

John said...

I don't remember a goddamn thing and that's just how I like it.

laurie said...

Aww, I'm sorry Andrew. I was just being a mean drunk last night. You're way hotter than most of my professors. But not this guy.

Anonymous said...

There was no picture with that link Laurie. No fair.

We need some good eye candy that's not photo shopped.

LoCo said...

Yeah I'm all for handing the class over to the students. There is nothing worse to me than "teaching" a "lesson." I think the kids learn more from shooting the shit, anyway. I know I'm supposed to want to teach comp more than I'm supposed to want to make $20 an hour shredding documents at a hedge fund, and I'm getting there.... I'm getting there.