Viewpoint by Daniella Solis/entertainment editor
I’ve been contemplating my experience at TCC — evaluating my classes, teachers and the students’ expectations — and I came to an unpleasant realization: I’m not sure I got the most out of my community college experience.
For one, I felt as if some teachers treated me and other students more like we were in high school. And secondly, I was surrounded by students who didn’t greet that treatment with the same outrage and hostility as I did.
I have had professors at TCC whose classes were challenging and who forced students to act like young adults. The teachers were engaging in their lectures, and their exams required a thorough knowledge and understanding of the material, which is what I would expect of a college-level class.
But I also recall moments of being completely let down by some teachers whose standard procedures included giving everyone the answers to upcoming exams and allowing students to write their own cheat sheets prior to tests. I’ve heard other students speak about teachers who dismiss class within 30 minutes of its start time.
These practices don’t exactly further our education, and that agitates me.
What makes me angrier, however, is the giddiness of my fellow classmates, who don’t seem to mind getting a free A. In fact, they often spread the word to other students about which professors will pass students who put little to no effort into the class.
But what good is getting an A if it was just handed to you? All you’ve done is dumb yourself down and made yourself less prepared for the next level of your college education.
If you’re not capable of earning good grades through your own brain and honest efforts, then maybe being in college is not a good idea for you.
Community college shouldn’t be just one more thing we purchase to pass the time. When we don’t get our money’s worth, we should complain and demand a better experience.
We were coddled enough in childhood by our parents, grandparents and teachers. The same thing shouldn’t happen in college.
