All throughout high school I couldn’t wait to get to college to have competent professors. Many of my high school teachers were lackadaisical and didn’t care about how students performed in their class, and my college experience hasn’t been much different. You shouldn’t choose to be an educator if you can’t teach, but sadly many people do. 

Within the first few weeks of one of my classes, I had a professor say to the class, “I get paid the same whether you learn or not.” 

This statement is true but should not be the goal of an instructor. Professors should aim to teach everyone in the room and earn their paycheck, not just show up to lectures and collect money. 

The same professor has clearly shown that he doesn’t care how students do. The class averages for exams have been alarmingly low. If a few students got grades around 60, I’d blame their study habits. However, when most of the class is averaging a 60, the lecturer is at fault. Despite these consistent low grades, the professor has not changed teaching methods. 

One glance at Rate My Professor or talking to upperclassmen will give you similar insight to some of the professors here at Shippensburg. Many students have complained about having educators that don’t care how their students perform. A good educator is one who puts their students’ success first and aims to teach students. 

When you accept your role as a professor, you should be dedicated to your job. You should be willing to adjust a course and find what works. If a professor is still using the same exam they created years ago, it should be updated to be more accurate. 

Many professors lack passion for what they do. Students pay thousands of dollars every year for an education and aren’t guaranteed a good professor. Certain professors lack clear communication skills and struggle to get information along to students. They will deliver ambiguous notes that don’t match exam questions. 

When you accept your job as a professor, your main goal should be to properly relay information to every student that steps foot in your classroom. The fault may reside in the students occasionally, but a consistent pattern of failure should be blamed on the educator.

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