In “Message to My Freshman Students” Keith Parsons says he is a professor, not a teacher. That all the way through our teachers have been responsible for making us learn and making us do good on tests. That they have are evaluated on based our test scores. Parsons says that it is no longer his job to make us learn. He gets “paid the same whether we get an F or an A.” Parsons says his boss is not going to call him to into his office and ask him why his students are not performing. Parsons is not obligated to give us any grade. He states that universities are ancient and that they like to do things the “old fashion way.” He disagrees with the fact that lecturing has come under scrutiny; that flipped learning is the way of the future. His response to that is “Hogwash, students need to learn to listen.” Parsons says that freshman students can not critically think. He states that his purpose as a professor is to make the world a richer place and his students stronger individuals. College is a different culture with different values Parsons writes. He says the biggest difference between his first year students and him is that he has adjusted to the ways of college and his students are fresh out of high school. Parsons says they come from a culture with academic values that are “strange and hard to understand.”
I agree with Keith Parsons in the fact that we are now adults and our education from here on out is on us. We are to make the responsible decisions on whether to do homework or go out with our friends. I disagree with him on the aspect that we are just suppose to automatically know everything there is to know about college. Parsons even stated himself that we are coming the a different culture. We can not just be thrown into the fire. We are just 18 and 19 years old. Three months ago we had to ask to go to the bathroom and to get out of our seats. Now in some classes, we do not even have to show up. That is a big difference. Parsons can not expect to accomplish his goal of making us stronger individuals with the idea that he is going to get paid no matter what. That makes it seem like he does not care about educating. That sounds like he just in it for a paycheck. I agree with him that he can not make someone learn if they do not want to but he can not put all first year students into that category. The students that don’t care, don’t show up, and don’t do their work; don’t last very long. Parsons should not lump all first year into the category of not caring and not being able to think. We are in college for a reason. We are not dumb individuals. We just need help in our first to be successful.
I agree with Keith Parsons in the fact that we are now adults and our education from here on out is on us. We are to make the responsible decisions on whether to do homework or go out with our friends. I disagree with him on the aspect that we are just suppose to automatically know everything there is to know about college. Parsons even stated himself that we are coming the a different culture. We can not just be thrown into the fire. We are just 18 and 19 years old. Three months ago we had to ask to go to the bathroom and to get out of our seats. Now in some classes, we do not even have to show up. That is a big difference. Parsons can not expect to accomplish his goal of making us stronger individuals with the idea that he is going to get paid no matter what. That makes it seem like he does not care about educating. That sounds like he just in it for a paycheck. I agree with him that he can not make someone learn if they do not want to but he can not put all first year students into that category. The students that don’t care, don’t show up, and don’t do their work; don’t last very long. Parsons should not lump all first year into the category of not caring and not being able to think. We are in college for a reason. We are not dumb individuals. We just need help in our first to be successful.