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Date: Wed, 19 Mar 1997 19:15:21 -0700
From: Rich Lemert <RLemert@continet.com>
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Rick Fletcher wrote:
> 
> Eric Lucas (ealucas@ix.netcom.com) wrote:
> : That's all well-and-good in theory.  However, have you actually set foot
> : in a classroom lately?  When I taught a Freshman lab as a postdoc, I was
> : *continually* shocked at the attitude that the students had--that the
> : teachers owed them a good grade, and if they didn't get it, they would
> : complain to the professor, complain to the head of the department,
> : complain to the dean, sue the school, etc.
> 
> The view expressed above is opposite to what I see everyday so I must
> challenge your post.  The vast majority of students with whom I work are
> motivated and possess a strong work ethic.  Many are underprepared, but
> they are very different from the way you describe them.

  My experience (before being unceremoniusly discarded) probably lies
in between and varied with the class. The seniors that I taught last
year were remarkable - the top four graduates in the entire college
of engineering were in that class, grads have gone to Minnesota, 
Michigan, Wisconsin, etc. Even the poorest students in that class had
to work their butts off just to keep up. Everyone should have a class
like this at least once in their careers.

  Last year's junior class was very different. Yes, there were good
students, but there was also a significant number that wanted to
argue with every deduction you took off on a test ("it wasn't that
wrong!"). If they didn't learn anything, it was your fault.

Rich Lemert
