Is this an unreasonable professor

Marian
Thu, 23 Sep 2010 19:59:11 +0000

Out in the real world, one is not isolated by the ivory towers of academia, or buffered from reality by having a 'government job. Out here, ones continued ability to support ones self very often requires that one respond to those who pay ones salary (the customer). I agree, teaching in a public school does not require this type of interaction. Whether this has led to good or bad results is obviously a matter of opinion.



Jobs do not exist for the benefit of the employee. But schools – whether colleges or K-12 schools – exist for the benefit of students.

Therefore, it bothers me a lot more when teachers/professors create an atmosphere that discourages students from learning than when supervisors/colleagues/customers make a worker’s life difficult.

Of course, some people on this thread think that the approach described by the OP provides a valuable experience for students. That’s a different matter. But for those of us who think that the professor in question is acting like a jerk, it’s much harder to consider this just an ordinary thing that people have to tolerate than it would be if someone’s boss or client was acting in a similarly unpleasant way.