English 261 Evaluation

When I signed up for this class, I expected to read really good short stories and improve my writing skills. Yet, it is the end of the quarter and I am very disappointed because my expectations were not fulfilled.

I have many complaints to make about this course, English 261, and the instructor. First of all, it is not a well structured course. From the beginning we have not had a syllabus so the students do not know the goals and objectives in the class. The teacher said that he wanted to be "flexible," yet I feel that he did not want to spare the time to plan a syllabus. A syllabus provides an organized schedule for students to follow so that they may be prepared each day for class and to know what to look forward to within the quarter. Students have a right to have a syllabus.^[1]

The instructor's goals are obscure: a perfect paper is a "C" paper, he says. Now, isn't that being ridiculous? So what's an "A" paper? Or, is there one? Most students do strive for a perfect paper, but in this class if a "C" is a perfect paper then what more does a student have to work for? Nothing. My hopes to do well in this class have certainly been crushed since the very beginning with this sort of attitude presented in the classroom.

I have expected nothing from the class and I am getting nothing from the class. How can students learn in a classroom where the instructor does no know how to teach? Let me add that an instructor's "opinions" are not part of a learning experience. Everyday we read a story, everyday we talk about that story, everyday students make comments and opinions about that story, and everyday the students opinions are criticized because they are different than that of the instructor. Well, I thought that part of going to college was to learn how to create your own individual viewpoints about things, and just because an instructor has a different idea about something does not make the students opinion wrong! The instructor should keep his "opinions" at home!

The class becomes boring when the teacher lectures everyday and the student does not know what is expected of him/her. Do we take notes, or not? What about the stories, the history, the literary artist? Is there a purpose? If so, it has not been mentioned in the class.

Moreover, when did it become legal to use such vulgar language in a college classroom, and in the textbooks? It used to be that when I saw the title "Professor" I thought that that person was supposed to be someone whom students could admire. Actually, the title only means that the person has gone to school a little longer than I and that's it, it is just a title. Whether it be a T.A. or a Professor, I expect professionalism in the classroom and that means using language that is appropriate for a public classroom. It, also, does not include a teacher coming to class in ripped, paint-stained blue jeans. There is supposed to be a distinction between the students appearance and the teachers. Isn't there a dress code for the faculty?

Furthermore, students pay a lot of money for an education at this school. So, I don't like to sit in a classroom, literally wasting my time, learning nothing, and walking out everyday only to learn how the teacher feels about some story. Is there a real purpose for this class? If so, I haven't figured out what it is.

Earlier in the quarter, I tried to speak with the instructor about the first essay due in the class, and he said to me "I can't help you with that." Well, if his job is not teaching, or instructing, or helping students (in this class) with their papers then what is his job? If a student cannot talk to the instructor about their papers then where does the student go to? Maybe, the instructor needs to think about that for a while.

During my visit with the instructor, I was brutally insulted. He treated me like I was not good enough to be in "his class." If the instructor would refer back to his teacher's guide I'm sure that he could find information on how to deal with students. You know, there are always teachers that I do not care for but I don't have to make a fool of myself in front of them. We all have to make sacrifices for something and learning how to behave is very important for a teacher who has to deal with people everyday (and worst of all, students).

For my last note, I want to say that I am personally offended by the instructors choice of words when he says "open your hymnals." It may sound minor but a hymnal book is actually a song book that is used in church for religious purposes, not a trashy literary book.