So, evidently I have missed the last day to withdraw from my class. I was working and I didn't realize it came up that fast. I am in a Business Law class, which I don't need in any way shape or form and my teacher and his stupid little test make NO SENSE. Hardly anyone in the class gets it and even with an open book and reading the chapters I am not understanding these questions! I am just stressing out for nothing, oh except bringing down my GPA! He is a total a$$hole, he didn't even tell us he still wanted us to do this powerpoint presentation, like he gave us NO INFORMATION on it WHATSOEVER! I finally asked and he was like oh well I gave you relevant info on it in my syllabus, uhm hello the syllabus is to help us along the semester not teach off of it...thats what your for!
I am SOO mad I could smack my teacher in his face!
- Thread starter roeboat21
- Start date
I had an English teacher like this last semester. He liked to ramble on about how he had an ex-wife, a teenage daugher that didn't know how to do a paper in APA format, and how he had been trying to speak French for the past 20+ years. And, in between all of his boring and useless babble, he'd give us paper assignments and what he wanted out of us. So, if you did the paper and didn't listen to him ramble on you were screwed. So, I can feel your pain! Can't you try and go above him to withdraw? Like, to the dean or something?
Im sorry to hear that but I think the only way u can withdraw from the class now is to go to your dean.
Does yr prof grade u based on a curve?! cause if everyone else's grades suck, it will look bad on him, and u might get lucky and he'll curve it. thats what happen with a prof of mine. she would continuously babble on about her cat, and then she wld randomly start teaching us for like 1 minute and then she'd be like "u know, I can't believe what's going on with Michael Jackson lately/or whoever else was the hot news of the day" and then she'd go back to talking about her cat, and then she wld mention something for us to study(for like 15 secs) and then she'd talk about the weather.....etc etc etc
Does yr prof grade u based on a curve?! cause if everyone else's grades suck, it will look bad on him, and u might get lucky and he'll curve it. thats what happen with a prof of mine. she would continuously babble on about her cat, and then she wld randomly start teaching us for like 1 minute and then she'd be like "u know, I can't believe what's going on with Michael Jackson lately/or whoever else was the hot news of the day" and then she'd go back to talking about her cat, and then she wld mention something for us to study(for like 15 secs) and then she'd talk about the weather.....etc etc etc
Sorry that you're dealing with this, but I guess I'm gonna be a little tough here...
You're in college now and it's your responsibility to know what is expected of you in the class. If the sylabus says that you have a PP project due, that you do it - you don't wait for the professor to tell you. You're not in high school anymore where the teachers baby you and tell you every little thing you need to do.
If you're not understanding the material that the professor is lecturing and the material in the book, I'd suggest getting another book and reading that too because not all books present information in the same way, and since everyone learns differently the book that you currently have may not be best for you.
What semester are you in in college?
I just took a business Law course (I have 5 to take for my degree, one in general law, taxes, work, etc) and the prof was pretty much the same way. Syllabus was handed out, he said his 1.5 hours worth of words and then walked out. He never said a word about projects, but there they were on the paper he handed out, and pretty much everyone did them ontime without him saying a word!
You're in college now and it's your responsibility to know what is expected of you in the class. If the sylabus says that you have a PP project due, that you do it - you don't wait for the professor to tell you. You're not in high school anymore where the teachers baby you and tell you every little thing you need to do.
If you're not understanding the material that the professor is lecturing and the material in the book, I'd suggest getting another book and reading that too because not all books present information in the same way, and since everyone learns differently the book that you currently have may not be best for you.
What semester are you in in college?
I just took a business Law course (I have 5 to take for my degree, one in general law, taxes, work, etc) and the prof was pretty much the same way. Syllabus was handed out, he said his 1.5 hours worth of words and then walked out. He never said a word about projects, but there they were on the paper he handed out, and pretty much everyone did them ontime without him saying a word!
I'm going to have to agree here...I'm about to graduate from a very large and fairly prestigious university, and it's pretty much standard policy that it's the student's responsibility to read and understand everything in the syllabus before opting to stay in the class, and most universities give the same withdrawal deadline every semester. also, professors can often be very eccentric, odd people, and learning to deal with them is part of being in college. it doesn't sound like he's done anything unreasonable, business law is a subject that can get very complex and the book he chose for the class may just not be the best one for how you learn. i'd stop trying to place the blame on him and start looking at how your attitude or behavior might be affecting the situation. for example, you said you were 'working' and forgot the withdraw deadline - that's not really his issue, withdraw deadlines are usually published well in advance of the semester's start and many universities give you weeks, if not months, to request a withdrawal. learning to take responsibility for this stuff is probably one of the most important things you learn in college.
My son is a freshman at Georgia Tech, they have something called freshman forgiveness where you can take 1 class over again if you feel you could/should have done better. He's taking 18 credits this semester and he was going to drop 1 class until he heard about that program, instead he decided to stick it out. See if your school has something like that.
Ok number one I work 40 hours a week AND am in school FULL TIME, so if I over look a date I know this is my issue and can talk my dean, number two this is an ONLINE CLASS...sooo therefor there are no notes what so ever. The teacher tells us to read the chapter and then gives us a test. He doesn't explain things at all and even when you ask him to WHICH I HAVE, he gives me rude answers like I am supposed to already know everything about this class.
As for the project, I KNEW it had to be done, but my teacher should have given us more of an idea of what he wanted rather then just saying. " Do a powerpoint presentation over a chapter we have no discussed". That was all it said, he did not tell us anything more or less AND there are only 3 chapters in this book that we have not gone over. Not to mention ALL the other people in my class didn't even know they were supposed to do it and if I hadn't said something to my teacher for him to say something then I would have been the only other in the class to do it.
If he would have given us some kind of notes to explain more on how the chapters like my OTHER law prof did then things I wouldn't be so upset and more people would understand. I am not dumb and I follow my syllabus's hince the reason they are there. They are a guideline for our teachers to TEACH US BY. Not for me to sign into my class and download and go from there, that is called a independent class. I have a teacher and he should therefor explain the chapters and give us some notes other then the chapter in the book.
Unforutnaly I live in a city where the teachers DON'T CARE what the student has to say and when you sit there an ask questions and try to understand stuff they don't want to help you. I have been asking questions and obviously I wouldn't be so pissed if I didn't try in this class but I am trying.
As for the project, I KNEW it had to be done, but my teacher should have given us more of an idea of what he wanted rather then just saying. " Do a powerpoint presentation over a chapter we have no discussed". That was all it said, he did not tell us anything more or less AND there are only 3 chapters in this book that we have not gone over. Not to mention ALL the other people in my class didn't even know they were supposed to do it and if I hadn't said something to my teacher for him to say something then I would have been the only other in the class to do it.
If he would have given us some kind of notes to explain more on how the chapters like my OTHER law prof did then things I wouldn't be so upset and more people would understand. I am not dumb and I follow my syllabus's hince the reason they are there. They are a guideline for our teachers to TEACH US BY. Not for me to sign into my class and download and go from there, that is called a independent class. I have a teacher and he should therefor explain the chapters and give us some notes other then the chapter in the book.
Unforutnaly I live in a city where the teachers DON'T CARE what the student has to say and when you sit there an ask questions and try to understand stuff they don't want to help you. I have been asking questions and obviously I wouldn't be so pissed if I didn't try in this class but I am trying.
What's the exact problem? He's a bad teacher but the decision to remain in class or not is entirely yours.
Besides, you might be mad, but a thread title saying you want to smack someone in the face sounds extremely juvenile. Maybe you should learn to deal better with your classes and your emotions.
Besides, you might be mad, but a thread title saying you want to smack someone in the face sounds extremely juvenile. Maybe you should learn to deal better with your classes and your emotions.
I can understand being frustrated with someone's teaching style, but for the life in me I cannot understand how you managed to miss the withdrawal deadline. I went to a very big & competitive university for my undergraduate degree and --out of sheer self-preservation-- if I knew I both didn't like AND didn't need a class (which you say is that case here) I would drop it immediately and not wait around for my frustration to increase exponentially until I felt I could smack the prof...
I frankly also think the tone of your post is a little self-entitled & presumptous. "uhm hello the syllabus is to help us along the semester not teach off of it...thats what your for!" YOUR job isn't to teach the prof. pedagogy; your job is to go over your sillabi, know what classes you need/want to take and drop those that you can't/don't want to handle in a timely manner.
BTW that's what academic calendars (you know, the ones that have deadlines for adding/dropping classes) are for!
I frankly also think the tone of your post is a little self-entitled & presumptous. "uhm hello the syllabus is to help us along the semester not teach off of it...thats what your for!" YOUR job isn't to teach the prof. pedagogy; your job is to go over your sillabi, know what classes you need/want to take and drop those that you can't/don't want to handle in a timely manner.
BTW that's what academic calendars (you know, the ones that have deadlines for adding/dropping classes) are for!
sorry, as I know you don't want to hear this, but I agree completely with Merika.
As well, I learned very, very quickly that you ALWAYS read, highlight, and place on your agenda everything that is on your syllabus. They write those for a reason...the syllabus IS often your information and they expect their students to be responsible enough to follow it w/out hand holding.
good luck with what you decide.
I'm going to have to agree with everyone else. I take seven online classes, work full-time and still have children to take care of at home and I never miss a deadline with any projects or dates. Online classes are mostly meant for you to learn independently, if you needed a teacher to help every step of the way then maybe you should have signed up for an in-house class instead of on-line, IMHO. These classes are called independent for a reason..you mostly teach yourself the material. Withdrawal dates are usually given two to four semesters in advance so you forgetting should not have been an issue. I just think you are trying to place the blame on your teacher for a mistake you made. Just my 2 cents!
I agree completely with Sternchen and Amanda. It is the students' responsibility to adhere to deadlines, and to ask questions when things are not clear. I have many students who ask questions about content that is evident - but they want me to TELL THEM again. That's not my job - that's a high school teacher's job (no offense). It is your job to interpret and analyze the material and ask relevant questions.
Since you are working full-time and going to school full time, you need to realize you are creating your own problems. Most students fall into the false sense of capability of maintaining two full-time schedules since "showing up for class" is not an issue. If you're working 40 hours a week, taking full-time coursework (assuming 12 units), and allocating the proper time to study, including reading, preparing for exams, writing papers, etc (that 'ol 2 hours outside of class for every hour in), you should be pulling an 76 hour work week. I'm not surprised your missing deadlines.
As someone who teaches online, there is only so much an instructor can do. Each online instructor has a different persepctive - some view it as an independent study class while others will run the course as similar to an in-person class as possible, including lecture power-points, discussion boards for "class communication" and other functions.
Online classes can benefit the busy student, but do create a great deal of extra work for the student and instructor (despite what many may think). I think they are more work than an in-person class.
Since you are working full-time and going to school full time, you need to realize you are creating your own problems. Most students fall into the false sense of capability of maintaining two full-time schedules since "showing up for class" is not an issue. If you're working 40 hours a week, taking full-time coursework (assuming 12 units), and allocating the proper time to study, including reading, preparing for exams, writing papers, etc (that 'ol 2 hours outside of class for every hour in), you should be pulling an 76 hour work week. I'm not surprised your missing deadlines.
As someone who teaches online, there is only so much an instructor can do. Each online instructor has a different persepctive - some view it as an independent study class while others will run the course as similar to an in-person class as possible, including lecture power-points, discussion boards for "class communication" and other functions.
Online classes can benefit the busy student, but do create a great deal of extra work for the student and instructor (despite what many may think). I think they are more work than an in-person class.
I have to agree with the majority. This class is YOUR responsibility. If you are having problems you need to go talk to this professor. Does he have designated office hours? If not make an appointment.
I know many universities offer free or low cost tutors. If you are not understanding the material its okay to ask for help!
I know many universities offer free or low cost tutors. If you are not understanding the material its okay to ask for help!
I have never, ever understood people whose excuses are like, "it came up so fast, I didn't realize it was the last day to withdraw, etc."
The administration practically holds you hand through college these days. At the beginning of every quarter or semester, calendars are clearly written out with dates for when the last day to withdraw is, when to file for graduation, etc. Come on, it's not that hard. And every college these days has an electronic register that allows you to drop a class from your home computer -- it takes two seconds.
It is not your professor's fault that (a) you don't do well in his class (b) you forgot to drop his class.
Get your act together and stop blaming other people for your own oversight. You're not going to do well in college or the real world without a better sense of personal responsibility and independence. It's nobody's job to make sure you drop classes or get A's.
The administration practically holds you hand through college these days. At the beginning of every quarter or semester, calendars are clearly written out with dates for when the last day to withdraw is, when to file for graduation, etc. Come on, it's not that hard. And every college these days has an electronic register that allows you to drop a class from your home computer -- it takes two seconds.
It is not your professor's fault that (a) you don't do well in his class (b) you forgot to drop his class.
Get your act together and stop blaming other people for your own oversight. You're not going to do well in college or the real world without a better sense of personal responsibility and independence. It's nobody's job to make sure you drop classes or get A's.
WOW this sounds like you are blaming him for something that is your fault. Shoot, I teach freshman and they came to me to sign their drop forms on time!!! I don't even know what the drop dates are....that is the student's responsibility 110% NOT the professor's. And, if you don't like the professor or the way he teaches and you don't need the class...then you should have dropped it ages ago.
Oh and the syllabus thing....if it's on there it is your responsibility. I remind my students 2-3 times about an upcoming exam and that is it. When they email me and ask questions about things that are on the syllabus I politely remind them to re-read it and then ask again if they need further clarification of something.
I just don't get students nowadays (and not everyone, just a small group) who expect everything handed to them! Gee, maybe the administrators should start texting reminders of important dates!
Oh and BTW...I worked 50 hours a week, raised a 12 year old, took care of my husband AND went to school on my lunch hour, weekends, evenings, online, and over the TV (oh and was applying for a US green card at the same time) and I never missed a deadline.
Oh and the syllabus thing....if it's on there it is your responsibility. I remind my students 2-3 times about an upcoming exam and that is it. When they email me and ask questions about things that are on the syllabus I politely remind them to re-read it and then ask again if they need further clarification of something.
I just don't get students nowadays (and not everyone, just a small group) who expect everything handed to them! Gee, maybe the administrators should start texting reminders of important dates!
Oh and BTW...I worked 50 hours a week, raised a 12 year old, took care of my husband AND went to school on my lunch hour, weekends, evenings, online, and over the TV (oh and was applying for a US green card at the same time) and I never missed a deadline.