<p>That’s the chicken’s way out, I’m afraid. In fact, if I were the advisor, this would tend to make me even MORE inclined not to give in and let you have your way. You simply cannot call Mommy or Daddy everytime you need bailing out. This just sets up an enabling situation. Is your mother pushing to intervene? A law degree doesn’t give someone license to throw their weight around “just because.”</p>
<p>You wrote:</p>
<p>" I’m going to talk with my adviser on Tuesday for pre-registration stuff, and once again try to see if there’s anything I can do. If there isn’t, I’m going to go ahead and have my mom call. Everyone always tells me to use all of my resources, so I will. "</p>
<p>My mom wants me to succeed, and would rather not pay out of pocket for me to take the class over the summer. I didn’t ask her to do anything, she said she would. She’s darn good too. There have been many times in my life that for me or one of my 6 siblings she’s dealt with schools and won. I view her as a good resource.</p>
<p>When my grown daughter was in college, she came across some real doozies as instructors. In fact, it made even MORE determined to hang in there and get good grades. Her goal was to acquire her Ph.D and get hired by a university where she could show them the RIGHT way to teach. Well, she never got that particular degree. But, I know it motivated her in school. And, she was also fortunate to have some wonderful professors, as well. Instead of dwelling on the crummy teachers, she focused on the instructors who went above and beyond.</p>
<p>You wrote:</p>
<p>And really, my professor told us on the first day of class that she wasn’t going to teach. We’re 10 weeks into the semester, and she’s probably lectured 6 times. We have class 3x a week. We go to class, and she gives us case studies that we work on in groups. During this time, she walks around the room, plays at her computer and may or may not pay attention when you try to get her for help. She hardly answers any questions either (generally she’ll say “I can’t answer that for you”), and rarely goes over the case studies either. So it’s not even that she’s teaching us anything and expects us to learn the rest. She gives us the notes that the test will be on, and expects us to just know them. Also, she doesn’t have trouble teaching. According to almost all the students that I have talked to who had her last semester said that she’s a great teacher. Too bad I wouldn’t know because she decided to try a “new approach” (and yes, those were her exact words) this semester, and that approach includes pretty much no teaching. </p>
<p>And really, my professor told us on the first day of class that she wasn’t going to teach. We’re 10 weeks into the semester, and she’s probably lectured 6 times. We have class 3x a week. We go to class, and she gives us case studies that we work on in groups. During this time, she walks around the room, plays at her computer and may or may not pay attention when you try to get her for help. She hardly answers any questions either (generally she’ll say “I can’t answer that for you”), and rarely goes over the case studies either. So it’s not even that she’s teaching us anything and expects us to learn the rest. She gives us the notes that the test will be on, and expects us to just know them. Also, she doesn’t have trouble teaching. According to almost all the students that I have talked to who had her last semester said that she’s a great teacher. Too bad I wouldn’t know because she decided to try a “new approach” (and yes, those were her exact words) this semester, and that approach includes pretty much no teaching.</p>
<p>My dad is an attorney and also “darn good”. Actually, he’s retired now. But, I had never felt the need to call him to intervene on my behalf where it concerns an issue I had in school. Oh, he was an amazing criminal lawyer…but I felt it best that he utilized those skills in the courtroom with much more pressing cases.</p>
<p>You wrote:</p>
<p>My mom wants me to succeed, and would rather not pay out of pocket for me to take the class over the summer. I didn’t ask her to do anything, she said she would. She’s darn good too. There have been many times in my life that for me or one of my 6 siblings she’s dealt with schools and won. I view her as a good resource.</p>
<p>Why did you waste our time asking our opinion? EVERY poster here (I think) told you that it is inappropriate, foolish, counter-productive, and immature to have your mom call in this situation. </p>
<p>I agree with 2Leashes – if I was your adviser, the call from mom would be the death knell for getting ANY sort of accommodations of any sort on this or on any thing in the future. </p>
<p>But your attitude says the world about why you are having problems with this teacher. </p>
<p>
This isn’t the 3rd grade. What is appropriate in elementary school or junior high isn’t appropriate at the college level.</p>
<p>There is no harm in YOU trying. There is plenty harm in having your mother try and achieving the reputation that your mom comes in to save you.</p>
<p>If, indeed, this is a problem with the teacher overall, and she really is incompetent and shouldn’t be teaching, then true leadership consists of mobilizing the students and presenting concrete evidence of the teacher’s incompetence to the powers that be – not having mom give you a special note out. In my workplace, I would not be impressed by someone who identified a problem, and then their action was just to move away from the problem and let it be other people’s problem.</p>
<p>What about an end-run. Are the classes so small than an extra person sitting in on a lecture would be noticed? Organize your schedule so you can attend both sections of the course – the one you are assigned to and the one with the other professor.</p>
<p>Oh, how true! This is exactly one of the things my S is dealing with. He has been complaining about this CS prof all semester, but he is the only prof that teaches the required course this semester and next semester. So there are no options and he has to deal. He has been putting so many hours into his programs. Know what he said last night? He said he has the highest grade in the class and he seems to have the respect and admiration of the prof for his hard work. Mom just breathed a sigh of relief!</p>
<p>Yes, it’s hard, it’s college. And as I recall, you are at a Jesuit college, too. They make you work, they make you think. You are not a spectator in your education. They expect YOU to take ownership. (I was reprimanded when I called FA to find out if he was eligible for work study. They wanted HIM to make the inquiry).</p>
<p>Also, you said you could take A&P II at another college in the summer. Are you SURE they will accept that? S has to fill out forms and get advisor, dean and registrar approval before he can take a class elsewhere for credit at his university. And he never took any courses elsewhere that were for his major - just core requirements.</p>
<p>It seems to me that anatomy and physiology is one of those things that you simply have to put in lots of outside study time for, even if you have 3 hours of GOOD lecturing a week. So informally going to another section seems like a brilliant (and proactive!) approach.</p>
<p>OP:</p>
<p>I don’t know why you are arguing with all the good advice you got here. Really it does say worlds about your attitude. Put yourself in your prof’s position. You admit other people say she’s a good teacher, but she’s trying a new and improved version of the course. Do you have any idea how much work that is, to prepare a semester of new materials!! Then, instead of having a willing class, she’s got a class with bad chemistry (as you say, half the class is whining about the new approach). Whew, I’m exhausted about just thinking about it!</p>
<p>I would intervene. Unfortunately often adults don’t take younger people seriously. Some adults could just be bullies. There was a time when a professor just would not respond to D1 when she was a freshman. As soon as I emailed him he was fine to deal with. D1 also learned how to deal with those tough situations from me. She is getting better at it. My H is also very bad at dealing with difficult people and I am better at getting what I want. I wouldn’t care how it gets done, but there is no way I would want to pay all that money for my kids education and keep on getting a bad teacher. One semester, yes. Two years, no. I would call.</p>
<p>Some of our high school AP classes are like that - the teacher will say at the beginning she will not teach the material in the book - the kids are responsible for learning that on their own. Class time is spent on other, more theoretical material, socratic seminars, etc. Several of the math teachers are like that also - the kids read the book and work the problems, and hopefully get their questions answered in class the next day. I guess they will be well prepared for college.</p>
<p>This thread reminds me of something a Human Resources person just told me is happening in their company. When some of the recent college graduates get their annual performance reviews, if they’re not happy with them, parents are placing direct calls to their kids managers to complain.</p>
<p>Question to the OP: If you can’t solve this problem using your own skills and resources, will you ever be able to stand on your own in life?</p>
<p>Yes I’m sure that I can take the class at another college over the summer. To do so, I have to look at different colleges and see what’s offered and then submit the course description to my adviser, who as I have said before is the dean of nursing. If it’s equivalent to ours (covers the same systems), then she’ll grant approval. It’s actually much easier to take major classes at another school than it is to take core classes at another school.</p>
<p>geomom - There’s almost nothing for her to prepare! She’s taught this course before, and now she’s not teaching it! More work? Not so much.</p>
<p>Yes, that is what S had to do too. That still gives you the little glitch if the potential transfer course is not quite equivalent. S did not have a problem, but D did with one course that was not granted approval.</p>
<p>You get approval before you take the course. I mean, you don’t have to, but if you don’t, it could be a major issue.</p>
<p>I can’t take the course at any of the 4 colleges around where I live since they don’t have an equivalent. I’ll probably go one of three places and stay with extended family: Minneapolis, NYC or Chicago. Since all those places have tons of colleges, I’m not at all worried about finding an equivalent.</p>
Well, she never got that particular degree. But, I know it motivated her in school. And, she was also fortunate to have some wonderful professors, as well. Instead of dwelling on the crummy teachers, she focused on the instructors who went above and beyond.</p>