Replies

...because the students were unprepared for higher learning, and I was tired of remedial instruction...

There is a load of truth in that statetment. I am finding that we are spending most of our time at the community college teaching students the things they should have learned while in high school. Generally, they are arriving to college without the slightest notion of what proper study skills are and they can not write a complete sentence to save their lives.

The word "higher" in higher education has increasingly been reduced to less than higher; to the lowering of standards, to grade inflation, and lower expectations. They have all conspired to the narrowing of what we mean by education and education: getting a degree; getting a piece of paper as opposed to getting an education. And as far as the entitlements students expect (I guess they get this notion from K-12) I had a student who was getting a "D+" in class. Near the end of the course he wanted to know what he could do to get 'extra credit to bring his grade up'. EXTRA CREDIT?!?! During the semester he turned in 1 page papers with text paraphrased off the internet (which I failed him on), all of his work was late by at least a day, and he showed up to class late almost daily.

He thought he was owed another chance (which would lead to pleas for yet another and another and we would pass this kid to the next instructor). Well I don't play that game of making someones kid someone else's problem.

There are millions of stories that will back this up. Public school instruction started to decay about 40 years ago. For starters, Schools of Education need to go.

Have you had much experience with home-schooled students at the college level ? I ask because my son, who was homeschooled from the 8th grade, is now in Community College and seems to be handling his courses well (Dean's List, 3.95 GPA) -- Although we are what could be called "relaxed" homeschoolers (no strict schedule, you can do "school" wherever/whenever you're comfortable, and we worked until mastery with minimal emphasis on tests), we did focus on strengthening basic skills, esp. grammar & writing (even diagramming sentences) and he actually enjoyed going on to advanced math. I am not overly surprised that he is doing well academically, but I was a little worried about his keeping to a schedule and staying oraganized. Any thoughts ?

I am finding that we are spending most of our time at the community college teaching students the things they should have learned while in high school...

My impression is that the work that used to be done in high schools has now been kicked up to the community college level. The latter have essentially been turned into the high schools of today.

I think that's a shame. It deprives community colleges of the opportunity to fulfill the roles for which they were originally intended, and it lets high schools get away with being little more than adolescent day-care centers.

Somehow, this needs to stop.

He thought he was owed another chance (which would lead to pleas for yet another and another and we would pass this kid to the next instructor). Well I don't play that game of making someone's kid someone else's problem.

More power to you, btw. You are doing that kid a favor. You are perhaps the first *good* instructor he's ever had.

Near the end of the course he wanted to know what he could do to get 'extra credit to bring his grade up'. EXTRA CREDIT?!?! During the semester he turned in 1 page papers with text paraphrased off the internet (which I failed him on), all of his work was late by at least a day, and he showed up to class late almost daily.

He thought he was owed another chance (which would lead to pleas for yet another and another and we would pass this kid to the next instructor).

You're doing the right thing there ... that kid is in for a WORLD of hurt when he hits the professional world.