This letter is in regard to the article about boring professors (Feb. 8). It's true that the easiest person to blame for a bad grade is not the student, but indeed the professor.
However, this excuse is invalid, because the only person responsible for one's grade is the student.
Yes, professors are the ones who assign the grades, but the grade a student receives is based upon their performance on tests, quizzes, homework and papers.
So I challenge anyone who is unhappy with their grade to ask that professor to show them how they arrived at the grade that student received.
If the professor cannot show a student sufficient evidence, the student should contest their grade. Otherwise, realize the grade given was the result of that student's effort -- and not the professor's boring class.
"Are professors there to entertain students?" Unfortunately, the answer is no. Professors are there to teach in whatever way they deem appropriate.
Although students wish all professors would be as enthusiastic as Stacey Johnson, the truth is there will always be "lecture happy" professors who love to talk their students to sleep.
The only way to solve this problem is to drink a strong cup of coffee before class and buckle down for the semester.
Some teachers have no sleeping policies noted in their syllabus. However, I haven't really seen this policy enforced.
I've seen teachers wake a student up only for that same student to fall right back asleep.
I believe this policy should be strictly enforced, because it is not only disrespectful to the teacher, but it is also distracting to other students. If a student is sleeping during class, that student should be asked to leave and not return until he can stay awake the whole class period.
However, I believe it should be a personal goal for all professors to make their class as exciting as possible.
The best way to do this is to involve the students in the learning process. Professors should rid their classes of boring lectures and start using hands-on activities.
In fact hands-on activities not only keep students' attention, they also help students learn and retain the information their learning.
Thus, students would enjoy what might have been a boring subject, and test scores would probably improve.
