Observations

I've had the opportunity recently to interact with several different teachers and observe their teaching styles. This is helpful to me because I'm much more aware of what I do and don't like in a learning environment. I had a discussion with one instructor that left me shaking my head afterward. X (the instructor) was asking if I found the reading helpful and I said no. I asked for some other types of material but that didn't seem to interest X a great deal - X was more interested in us reading the book.

X mentioned a student who had brought in several other books & X seemed confused as to why this student had brought in other books. I told X it seemed obvious - the student *wasn't* getting the ideas from the assigned reading. I don't know that that went over very well as X began speculating on why the student hadn't asked for help and saying things like "this is grad school - there's no spoon feeding," "the student should come as for help," etc. I mentioned that perhaps the student didn't understand at all and was embarrassed to ask. No one likes to look or feel stupid. X acted like that thought was totally foreign/new.

After all that backstory, you're probably wondering if there is a point. Here it is: *I* shouldn't have to point out that kind of stuff to a teacher! I thought that was the point - teachers teach. I had to call jneal & vent a bit and she brought up an excellent thought: Once someone gets their PhD, there are no other requirements they have to meet to get a teaching position. This may be true of master's degrees also, I don't know. That means someone can go their entire career without having a single class on learning/teaching etc. and then be given a class to instruct.

How fucked up is that? And we wonder why people struggle in college, why education seems so difficult to attain. Particularly, I'm starting to wonder what the hell I'm paying for. If I'm having to point out such obvious things to a teacher - what exactly am I getting?