Being a student attending a major research university definitely has its pros and cons. Today I give you a con.
The opportunity to network with distinguished professors as well as meet people from all over the globe surrounds us on an everyday basis. I don't regret for a single second coming to UB, however in my two years here thus far, I find myself growing increasingly cynical towards the inconsistent teaching practices at this particular institution of learning.
With the current advances being made to this school, both in its structure and infrastructure, UB is sailing towards becoming the flagship school of the SUNY system. Disregarding how much UB is supposed to grow by 2020 and the breakthrough research that takes place, there remains one fact: in a higher learning establishment, there is an obligation to the great minds of today to teach the great minds of tomorrow.
When I think of a teacher, I think of a person who has traveled the distance in terms of accomplishment and said teacher (in one form or another) has mastered a particular discipline.
I accept the fact that at the end of the day, it's the student's grade that's potentially in jeopardy, and the professor will still receive their paycheck regardless. All I ask is where is the devotion?
For the classes I have taken here, which have ranged from 20 to almost 400 people, I have never felt more like a number than in one of my current classes. The largest difference I see while I sit in this class in a state of bewilderment is the fact the professor (who shall remain nameless) is a scientist.
These scientists are employed by UB to conduct research, which will further a particular field, and even more notably, further their careers. So where do the students come in?
As far as I know, these scientists/professors are primarily in the business of "teaching" because the university requires them, as per their job description, to do so. While today's brilliant minds shine (and so does the reputation of the university), it seems as if the lack of attention to detail regarding the academic wellbeing of the student will lead to the lackluster brilliance of tomorrow.
It's similar to raising a child. Although we are no longer children, we preserve youth for all our lives in the sense that just as children have much to learn-so do we. Children who grow up in a loving environment grow up to love.
Similarly, most of us who have grown up through the education system had at least one teacher who has shown some semblance of devotion towards the primary focus of their job: teaching students. This devotion is what we hold onto down the road, which eventually shapes our outlook on education. So why can't there be the same level of devotion shown from professors in college that is shown in earlier education.
One of my best friends is a geology major attending SUNY New Paltz. He tells me about his class size and the interactive environment between teacher and student, and I'm almost, for a fleeting moment in time, envious. I try to convince myself that we, too, have an interactive learning environment. We have $50 clickers.
It's not class size that gets me, however; it's possible to have large classes and still have a nurturing learning environment. It's how the students are treated, and how the person who is sharing knowledge and wisdom lives up the title of "teacher."
Animals are used in scientific experiments as accessories to the advancement of scientific research. Why do I feel like a lab rat here?
I understand how it's up to the student to make the whole wide world feel smaller by exposing themselves to many different things. But just like our own fathers and mothers, where are the parents of teaching when we are learning to take our first steps in the real world?
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
