In summary...In the post “Message to My Freshman Students,” Keith Parsons suggests in so many words that freshmen are wholly unprepared for any change and are in no way ready to receive his profound knowledge. He argues that society leaning towards non-lectured learning is ineffective and an insult to his academic integrity. Suggesting the only real way to learn is to be talked at. Students should change the way they learn to be deemed teachable. He believes that college is meant for deeper learning and following passions, and freshmen as an entirety have an incapability to grasp education on this level. None of this is the professor’s fault, and the professor needs not take any steps towards improving their students. The students must adjust to the ancient academic norm or be left to fail. He adds to his rant, “We should not foolishly expect them to listen to us, but instead cater to their conditioned craving for constant stimulation” (Parsons). He claims that it is not the professor’s job to update their ancient methods, they should not have to keep up with the changing generations. If students just go to college to earn credentials, they won’t enrich their lives or change the world at all. From a Freshman's Perspective Frankly, Parsons' widespread negative assumptions about my generation and his condescending sarcasm make me want to discard him as just another angry old man who never learned how to use an iPhone. Society remains stagnant by maintaining ancient ways, to progress we must adapt and challenge these norms. His generalization of freshmen is appalling, and his attitude towards us is an unproductive way to deal with change. I do not deny that college is a new and challenging experience for everyone, but to say nobody is prepared to learn is a major assumption to make. I think that just because my generation has a generally shorter attention span does not mean that we are all ignorant blockheads with no will to learn. Yes, some students will be quick to fail when faced with new challenges, but I’m certain his generation had just as many people who were not meant for college. This does not make them a lesser form of human beings, simply ones who possess different talents and have different callings. Personally, I don’t believe that everyone was made for college, and to frown upon those people is to discredit a whole group of people.
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Julia CoteGeorgia Southern Pre-Vet Student, nature enthusiast, avid movie watcher, animal-lover, and feminist. Archives
November 2015
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