Nov 14, 2006

Does College Education Suck?

No, education does not suck. But let me tell you about my bad teaching day.

Actually, it wasn't all bad. I teach two classes, and the 10 a.m. class went well. The 8 a.m. class was another story. Out of forty students, nine showed up. That's right, nine. As you can imagine, attendance is always a bit of a problem in my 8 a.m. class (since I have no mandatory attendance policy), but it's never been that low. I was hopping mad.

So I tried doing the activity I had planned, but it didn't work with so few students. So the class devolved into a discussion about why education sucks. What can I say? It was 8 a.m. and freezing outside, and sometimes students need to vent.

Actually, I enjoyed listening to my students vent about education, which everyone felt had some serious problems. One student said that compared to in his grandfather's day, when students were prepared well in primary school, students were going to college without basic writing and study skills, and therefore didn't get much out of their education. Several complained that they felt like they had to be there, because, in effect, college has become a prerequisite to a middle class lifestyle. All of them complained about problems having to do with lack of funding to the university, especially that they can't get the classes they need to graduate on time because departments can't afford to hire enough instructors to meet demand.

So I let them in on a little secret. Effective the end of this school year, I am leaving academia to pursue my dream of becoming a full time writer. I told them that I enjoy teaching (usually), but that I was ready to move on, and that I too was disgusted by problems with The System. Somehow we've created a system where students always get the short end of the stick. They are taught to jump through hoops to get through college, as opposed to learning to value education. And somehow professors find themselves in an uphill batle to motivate students when so much in the culture around us is anti-intellectual.

Anyways, teaching doesn't suck. I can't even tell you how much I value the human beings who have sat in my classrooms over the years and shared a bit of their lives with me, and I truly hope they learned things from me that are of value. And education doesn't suck either. We all have those moments of disgust, but despite the problems, a college education is a privilege and a valuable opportunity to learn about the world and challenge your assumptions about it.

I gotta say, though, 8 a.m. classes really do suck.