My Last First Day of Classes

Posted by Naomi Rockler-Gladen Jan 18, 2007

This is the second entry in an ongoing series about my last semester as a college professor. (Here's the first entry about my last semester).

So today was the first day of class, and I taught two sections of my Critical Media Studies class. Another sign that I am ready to be done with this career: I didn't plan ahead what to wear. Thing is, I've always had an outfit in mind for days before the first day of school. In 6th grade, it was the purple frilly shirt and white pants (circa 1981). In 9th grade, it was black stretch pants and an oversized magenta shirt (circa 1985). Even as a professor, I continued the ritual of picking out a new outfit to wear on the first day.

But today, as I wandered into my closet, I realized I had nothing picked out. What to wear? Since it's colder than Siberia here, I chose a warm, comfortable outfit and shoes with enough traction to reduce the odds of slipping on the ice. The ritual was over.

I told my classes that they were my last students ever. Then as an ice breaker exercise, I had them introduce themselves and discuss one thing about education that needed to be changed. Kind of a negative exercise, of course, but it did get them talking. (Hopefully students can also appreciate their education, which may be problematic, but truly is a privilege.)

So what things do my 80 Generation Y college students want to change about education? Most of their concerns had to do with how they felt the university failed to prioritize the basic needs of students. Common complaints were:

• Classes are too big. Students don't get enough individual attention, and discussion is difficult with so many students.
• Students can't get into the classes they need for their major. This is a big problem in the Speech Communication Department, where there aren't enough faculty members and instructors to teach enough classes to meet our high demand.
• Graduating in four years has become very difficult, largely because of core curriculum requirements. Most students didn't seem to feel the core should be demolished, but that it had to be smaller and more flexible. Transfer students have an especially rough time, as does anyone who decides to change their major.
• So where is all the tuition money going, asked my students? The price of education is increasingly making it less accessible. My students want to know why they are paying so much and still can't get into the classes they need and want. Several students argued that the university operates too much like a business that tries to profit from students.
• Classes need more "real world" application.
• Students don't receive enough guidance from advisors.
• Lack of parking. A seemingly minor issue, but on a frigid icy day, it truly sucks. At CSU, faculty members park in the "A" lots and students park in the "Z" lots. Talk about hierarchy!

Other concerns included the lack of diversity on campus, the price of textbooks (here's some ideas on how to get cheap college textbooks), and liberal bias in the classroom, which I'm glad students felt comfortable enough to discuss (here's some of my thoughts on bias in the classroom).

A good last first day, overall.

Here's the index to my ongoing series about my last semester as a professor. I hope you'll join me!