In the Sept. 11 issue of the Daily Forty-Niner, Krystle Ralston’s column “Professors need to be more understanding”, I just have one problem with Ms. Ralston’s well-written article on the idea that college professors need to be more understanding of students’ needs – she is completely wrong. She puts forth the idea that teachers are “pushing and shoving” students to be more vocal in class, like they are in a mosh pit and unable to get out.
If Ralston feels that professors should not attempt to have a participatory element to their classes then maybe she should go to traffic school for the remainder of her education. Last time I checked, that is the only place you can sit in a classroom and not be expected to speak.
The challenge of university professors is to gain the participation of students. There is a chain reaction where student communication skills get them leadership positions in private, public and non-profit companies. This gains greater prestige to our list of alumni and contributes to the endowment we receive from these past graduates and ultimately, increase the reputation of our school.
The statistics show that the demand for a university-educated worker has never been greater, and that communication skills (especially those that involve speaking in front of large groups) must be cultivated at the college level as opposed to the school of hard knocks (where failure to accept being put on the spot can get you fired).
If Ralston believes that the communication skills of university students should not be tested and cultivated before graduation and that professors are asking too much of their students and should lower their standards, then I believe she is suggesting a path to our school losing its status as a top three university in the Western Region.
– Frederick Griefer, MPA graduate student