While we are complaining about the unmotivated students, we should
remember that we must not expect them to be like we were. Most of us
were especially good students--we liked school and the excitement of
acquiring knowledge, we were good at it, and that is part of the reason
we went on to become professors. Also, most of us went to "better"
schools than those where we now teach. Hence, we were surrounded by
more capable and serious students than we find in our current student
bodies. This all makes sense. And certainly there are campuses where
nearly all the students are highly capable, passionately interested, and
goal-directed. You will find such students at Stanford, Harvard, and
the other highly-selective universities. (Each time I visit the
Stanford campus and interact with the students, I am reminded that there
is virtually no overlap between that population of students and those on
my humble campus--on practically any education-related criterion you
select.) And I can understand/accept this.
Of course, there are other considerations that help to explain the lack
of interest in learning that we sometimes encounter--grade inflation
(and enhanced self-esteem coupled with inadquate skills), demographic
changes so less-capable students are now going on to college and even
graduate school.
I make a sincere effort not to bad-mouth the students in my classes too
much--keeping in mind that they are my bread-and-butter. It is because
of them (with all their blemishes) that I get to do what I love doing
for a living.Why trash those who provide such a gift?
One goal I keep before me is that of providing a better education than I
received. Here at Humboldt State (a well-regarded but modest university
in the national pecking order), I feel I provide a much better
educational opportunity than I ever received during my 4 years at UC
Berkeley. Of course, with all the highly-readable texts and
ancillaries, this isn't too difficult. As long as I can give better
than I received, I'm feeling pretty good about the situation.
--Dave
--
___________________________________________________________________
David E. Campbell, Ph.D. [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Department of Psychology Phone: 707-826-3721
Humboldt State University FAX: 707-826-4993
Arcata, CA 95521 www.humboldt.edu/~campbell/psyc.htm
