first day of class, Spring 2012

[kippurbird]

I am dropping the class I started today. It was a very easy decision for me to make. It has really very little to do with the material and more with the teacher.

She was, in a word, erratic.

The first hint of this was that she didn't show up to class until after I had talked to the secretary who called up the vice-provost who called her up and discovered that she thought the class was tomorrow. She then turned up an hour late because of this.

She then proceeded to be exceptionally erratic.

Her lecture style appears to be rambling around in various directions with lots of "oh shinny" moments. There was a brief tangent on the evils of television because you get nothing of value from it (yet she watches anime... but for screencaps she says). And one about how people who use Facebook are just completely wasting their time. And one about how Steve Jobs was evil.

Several times she used the phrase "lah-did-de-dah" as she spoke, skipping past some things.

More than several times she'd stop her tangent and go "What was I talking about"?

She liked making fun of people. She did this, what I would call "stupid voice". Where she'd talk like someone who she thought was stupid relaying information that she thought was stupid. In regards, for example, black masking tape to black electrical tape (she wanted the former not the latter) she'd say in this "stupid" voice, like some slow witted drawl "Oh. Gee. Why isn't this working". Which was kind of funny the first couple of times she did it... but not the sixth or seventh or twentieth.

Once she was discussing something that was on the "principles of design" where she said "But this should be obvious". If it was obvious, why am I taking this class?

And what really got me - because I'm insanely schedule orientated - she didn't know if there was going to be a mid term or not. It depended on how she felt.

Oh! And the term paper. The term paper is four to eight pages. You're supposed to do it on a famous graphic designer. But you don't really have to write anything. Just look stuff up and "throw it on the page and add some pictures". You can write a paragraph or so about why you liked the guy, why you hated him, if they did drugs or how they died. Just... something. Whatever. It didn't matter.

Honestly the English major in me cringed and died a little.

A lot.

As a person in serious need of structure, routine and predictability this class is an anathema to everything that keeps me sane. So. Hello drop form!

Comments

[gehayi.livejournal.com]

Oh, God. I would HATE a teacher like that. And I would be appalled by that description of a term paper. I don't blame you one bit.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

I do not know what that was, but I can tell you one thing, it was not a term paper.

She was very entertaining to watch, if I was going for a character study, but not what I want in a teacher.

[fritters.livejournal.com]

I try to check everyone out on ratemyprofessors.com before I sign up for anything. If it's the only teacher for a subject, you can be S.O.L., but otherwise it's been damn helpful.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

It seems like everyone's doing that nowadays...

*randomly looks up old professor on it*

Apparently other people looked her up and a lot of them say she was erratic.

[ceitfianna]

That's horrible, horrible teaching for anyone.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

One student, I think, deliberately derailed her a couple of times.

[ceitfianna]

Ugh, bad student though if they didn't really care about the class, I guess it would fit.

I've had teachers like that, not quite that bad but just horrible. And yes, it can be interesting to get them off topic as its easy but not when it counts for something.

[smurasaki.livejournal.com]

Augh!

I hope you included why you were dropping the class on the drop form. That's so much teacher fail, the mind boggles.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

I don't know if they have that on the drop forms. It's all electronic now.

[smurasaki.livejournal.com]

Aw, that's too bad. She sounds like such a disaster.

[rurounitriv.livejournal.com]

Was she on drugs?!? In 6 years of college, I never ran into a teacher that bad. And I was in a small college in the fine art program, which attracts oddballs like doggy doo attracts flies.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

I don't thiiiink she was on drugs. She may have been on drugs in previous years, like in her youth. But she was just pretty crackers.

[rurounitriv.livejournal.com]

Sounds like.

[falconwhitaker.livejournal.com]

Oh dear lord, this woman sounds like an aspie nightmare given human form e-e Drop it like it's hot!

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

Yes. Quite. Agree in ALL parts.

[torylltales.livejournal.com]

I think you make the right choice dropping that class. Nobody would be or should be expected to pay for something like that. University/college/higher education is supposed to be a place for professionals and experts to pass on their expertise and skills to the next generation of professionals in that field, not for half-sane cat ladies to ramble about things not related to the subject, or to treat the course with such obvious disinterest.

[kippurbird.livejournal.com]

I certainly hope she doesn't have any cats! Poor things.

The thing is she is a professional in her field. She works for a major company. They sell dog food. But... yeah. And some of her work is pretty good. I just don't think professional in field = good teacher.

[emily-goddess.livejournal.com]

I just don't think professional in field = good teacher.

This is so important! My Vet Assistant teacher is a professional with years of experience, but, well, let's just say I've had better teachers.

He's not nearly as bad as this lady, though. I can't imagine trying to learn from her!

[rurounitriv.livejournal.com]

Hey! I'm a half-sane cat lady! ;)

Difference is, I know what the hell I'm talking about. And I have some manners.