Life 101

The art of teaching

Every teacher you have has a completely different style of educating. Some like to show you, while others make you do it yourself. Others just prefer the lecture style. They teach while hoping that you either understand or stay awake long enough before you are bored to death. There are, however, some teachers who actually do take the material out of the book and use it in their classes. Unfortunately, there are a majority of teachers who like to “do their own thing,” then tell us to read the book. The only catch is that the book has nothing to do with lesson that was taught.

These days, teachers are very political. It is like an untold, hidden secret. The student who the professor knows will come in to ask questions will, in the end, receive a better grade than the person who just did the work, went to class and counted down the minutes to get out of the classroom. Just keep this golden rule in mind, and I can guarantee that it will be reflected in your grades.

Contrary to another popular myth, professors do try their best to be fair, but they are human. How can they be fair and unbiased when they are closer to some students than others? Think of it this way: if you have a gift for someone and you walk into a room with two people, one whom you know and another whom you don’t, who will get the present? Not a hard question, now, is it? With professors, you can apply the same logic. Some professors might give a higher grade to those they know as opposed to those they don’t. It is as simple as that.

It’s all a game when it comes to making the grade. Test scores from multiple- choice and true-false exams are the only true test to give students. Using the average grade to calculate the scores they receive is the only way to test the skills of pupils. Essays and other test methods are faulty. It gives the professor the upper hand in grading. It allows them to have the power to choose your grade. While you think you may have solved the question, they may be looking along the same lines, but a bit differently. One thing left out of an essay or fill-in can sometimes cause you to get the entire question wrong. They are the gatekeepers to how much credit is earned or lost.

So what do we do to maintain high grades? My advice is to keep asking questions, visiting professors and going for help even if you don’t need it. Other tips to getting a high grade are to become interested in the subject matter. If you really can’t get into Astrophysics 403, then at least do yourself a favor and pretend as if you want to do more. Not all subjects are interesting. In fact, most will make you go insane and will make you beg for someone to put you in a coma. Until your next class, fellow Rider students, just keep kissing butt to make the grade.