<p>Actually, I agree with starbright in post #8, and I might add, it could end up being a great class if you measure greatness by how much you can learn, not by your final grade. Sometimes classes that require super human effort are the most worthwhile!</p>
<p>It’s often better for everybody involved if the professor “weeds” out those who are not really mentally prepared to handle the level of difficulty. I remember a similar opening from a very famous computer science professor and while the class did take super human effort, it was very worthwhile. I think I got a B. </p>
<p>Humility is essential to learning. Getting early in her college career is a blessing. </p>
<p>Oh yeah, and I might add, don’t call anybody :-).</p>
<p>Okay, I checked out this fellow. Turns out D’s school has it’s own internal rating system from recent students in this particular class. I was glad I was sitting down. . . without exception - students LOVE this guy. Yes, his tests are “crazy a@@ hard” but the curve is such that a 65% is an A and 50% a B. </p>
<p>So, I will suggest to D she check it out. And. . . note to self. . . come to CC before venting elsewhere “:)”</p>
<p>I say, relax. Give your kid the benefit of your experience and say, “this too shall pass.” All they can do is their best and it’s no longer about external motivation but internal motivation. It is not part of the profs job to motivate minds. Sure, it’s nice when it happens, but at this point in the educational process, the motivation should already be there. There is nothing for a parent to do other than tell their kid that they have faith in their ability to problem solve and take advantage of the resources available to them (office hours, study groups, the blow out weekend party at the suite next door, etc).</p>
<p>Do not call the college. Do not contact the professor. Sure, check out the online ratings, but do that for yourself - not as ammunition for your kid or against the professor. The truth is, sometimes the kid is going to call and complain. Half the time, the minute they get it off their chest, the angst is gone. Sometimes it takes a little longer. But they are young adults and MOST of them can figure out a few steps to take without parental involvement. Support? Yes. Involvement? No.</p>
<p>My kid got the first C of his life during his freshman fall semester. Yes, sometimes humility is essential. It didn’t kill him and it didn’t kill me. In fact, in some ways I knew that’s what needed to happen to get him to fully engage in his own education.</p>
<p>Maybe he is sick of getting kids from high schools where nearly everyone gets high grades to preserve the kids’ self-esteem and all the other “modern” theories of child raising. And the parents that enable them. I’d love for the parent to call the professor. That would be an entertaining phone call.</p>
<p>Again, thanks to everyone. And, if it wasn’t clear in my original post - the urge to contacting the prof was just that, it was not going to be acted upon. </p>
<p>It’s well established that many students experience a drop in grades and performance during their first semester. H and I expect it, and we prepared D for this possibility. No one here is afraid of a ‘C’. Admittedly it is very tough to hear a crushed spirit after the very first classroom experience. I’m sure D will not only survive, but thrive. It will however take a bit of time to develop the coping mechanisms. I’m sure once she knows where, when and what to eat, how to live in a dorm, how to deal with homesickness etc. her reaction will be different.</p>
<p>Barron: D’s high school was not subject to grade inflation. They had a strictly enforced school wide grading policy. And trust me, D’s self esteem got a regular beating. I agree with you that it is however a widespread problem. This is why SAT and ACT scores are so important, they remain a ‘normalizing’ factor.</p>
<p>I agree. I don’t mind this tactic at all because I do thrive in a small class and I always hoped that the professor would do something to weed out people who don’t take the material seriously.</p>
<p>Tell your D to Ignore the guy’s warning, hope that the class size will go down, and move on and work hard.</p>
<p>While this method isn’t completely appropriate for our fragile, narcissistic generation, science and math professors should certainly take careful note because these fields are in such demand and we need more people who can work in these areas. I was definitely demoralized by my HS (female!) chemistry teacher and just haven’t found my confidence to do well in chemistry since.</p>
<p>It always seems to me that teachers who make these kinds of statements are making a pretty damning admission about their own ability to teach the material. Or maybe it’s about the admission standards of the school that employs them.</p>
<p>Even if it’s all bluster, I just don’t care for it.</p>
<p>dietz–Glad it looks hopeful. Best to be sympathetic, but let student choose to “wait and see” or “take action” in situations like this.</p>
<p>This was always a common tactic–especially in freshman English classes. 30 years ago, I remember my whole dorm of freshman girls crying over D’s and F’s on their first papers.
Then they returned to class to gradually improve over the semester and the profs/TAs dropped their lowest grade/s. Last year, my freshman D had the same experience (complete with dorm full of crying girls!)–got an F on the first paper (which she called me upset about–I was able to tell her about this great college tradition and not to worry) A in the class. The prof was tough, but D actually liked him by the end of the semester and signed up for another class of his.</p>
<p>I don’t use this approach myself but often it seems THE most loved professors, the ones that win awards, have famous reputations, are really really harsh and hard on their students. But underneath it, they REALLY care about their students as well and put tremendous work into their harsh and detailed feedback. Students come out feeling like they really learned a ton and grew as a person. Such profs are often far more devoted to their students’ wellbeing than the touchy-feely buddy-professor who earns popularity via grade inflation.</p>
<p>“molder of young minds”?? This is not first grade. The minds should be pretty well molded by now. College is the time to test them and see if they are steel or Jello.</p>
<p>Barron: if the minds are molded then they should be in trade schools (since the mold knows its’ form) and not universities since the time for change, growth and modification has clearly past.</p>
<p>D last semester, after the first class meeting of the weed-out accounting course: “He told us that half of us would flunk out and that most of the rest would get Cs. He’s the only guy teaching this course for the semester and it’s required. Oh, and he already told us that he would write a great letter of rec for jobs and internships for any student who got at least a B in his class.”</p>
<p>Me: “So, what do you think?”</p>
<p>D: “I’m going to make an A. He can’t scare me.”</p>
<p>Glad you decided not to call the professors, Dietz. Dealing with grumpy professors is part of that learning curve in college (like handling a less-than-ideal roommate.) The guy may sound like a jerk but apparently he must be doing something right, given the nature of his ratings. For my D, she always seems to learn the most from some of those prickly incivil types, who then wind up being her favorite teachers. (That either says something about the nature of some teachers or the contrariness of my D.) </p>
<p>OP, this guy sounds a little over-the-top, but on the other hand, sometimes freshmen need clear forewarning. In the fall semester I often teach an upper-level class that some freshman are eligible for, if they’ve placed out of the usual first-year course. This placement means that they have high test scores or AP credit, and are accustomed to excelling in school. However, many of them are not really sufficiently prepared. Unfortunately, by the time they get their first grades from me, it will be too late to drop the course. So I always meet with all the freshmen enrollees as a group after the first lecture. I tell them: “you are welcome to take my class; over the years, some freshmen have done very well, but others flounder. There is no way for me to predict how any of you will do grade-wise, since I do not know you and have not seen any of your work. Those of you who know you are likely to freak out if you get a C or a D would be better off dropping back to an easier level.”</p>
<p>Over the years, this little speech has doubtless saved me many a walk with a student over to Mental Health and Counseling. It hasn’t entirely eliminated them, though!</p>
<p>Do not even consider calling the professor (I realize this situation has been resolved, but for future ones).
My chemistry professor uses a similar tactic (This will be the second semester I have her. She’s hard, but the best actual teacher in the department), and her tests are ridiculously hard. Her curve is nice though (75 and above=A). But every semester after the first tests get handed back she goes, “Don’t bother having your parents call me. In this state it’s against the law for me to talk to my students’ parents if you’re over eighteen (Maryland). It’s fun though when they do call. I get to say ‘Is your child eighteen or older?’ and then hang up the second I get an answer.”</p>
<p>It ridiculous that any parent would even consider calling a professor barring some huge emergency (ex. My son won’t make the test, he was in a car accident and is in the hospital.).</p>
<p>Oh and the hard ass proffessor is a forty year old woman with three kids.</p>
Sometimes true, but not necessarily. Getting an A on an easy exam is different from getting an A on a brutal one. The only way to find out who really has the chops is to gear the exam to the person at the very top and let the chips fall where they may. Personally, I have never taken this approach in a course, but I’ve seen it done. More often at the grad level though.</p>