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. I believe his superiority issues associated with being a professor aren’t justified. In my experience, the professors I’ve seen care about engaging their students and want to watch them succeed. It is a inane abuse of power to sit back and watch your students suffer because they may differ from the learning style you have been taught is the only correct way. The consequence for being born in this generation and raised the way we were raised shouldn’t be a clouded judgement from our elders calling us lazy and frowning on our short attention span. I find it ridiculous that there even is a consequence for being born and raised a certain way. Change is not inherently bad, although many of the so-called ancient scholars would have us think that. If we all maintained the idea that the old way is the right way, as a woman I wouldn’t even be allowed into college. Since I am here in college, clearly the old way has changed, and it has worked out extremely well. So what makes this change, moving away from lecture to keep up with the masses, any different?
5 Comments
9/1/2015 06:34:30 am
I agree that Parson's generalization of college freshmen is harsh and unfair. He does seem to have an ego problem of some sort. Parson's couldn't seem to grasp that it is okay to differ in learning styles and preferences. I think that he should be open to incorporating different learning techniques in his class.
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9/1/2015 11:24:34 am
I loved your blog post as a whole! I literally laughed out loud at your comment about Parsons being "an angry old man who never learned to use an iPhone." Some people think their way is the only way, and Parsons seems to be one of those people. I agree that lecture isn't the only way to do things in today's time.
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9/1/2015 11:33:44 am
I absolutely loved your blog post, especially where you say that society will never change if it keeps clinging to old ways and how we need to change in order to progress. I greatly enjoyed the part where you said Parsons sounds like an "angry old man who never learned to use an iPhone." It really emphasizes that Parsons may need to update his teaching methods.
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9/1/2015 01:11:53 pm
I really enjoyed your post. You really hit the nail on the head. I especially like the point you made about professors abusing power and sitting back and watching students suffer. Professors need to be more of a role model rather than a dictator.
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9/1/2015 09:56:50 pm
Very strong and very direct. I appreciated you adding in your own input on the actions of professors through experience. I really like the quote "Parson is just another angry old man who never learned how to use an iPhone."
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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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