By Nicholas Proch
This week marks the midpoint of our Fall 2010 semester. If you’re a full-time student, this time of year can either be a time of rejoice or a time of painful treading through classes. For some, they can see the light at the end of the tunnel, knowing that they are halfway through another semester of hard work. For others, they can find themselves completely burned out.
Most classes have had, or are having, their mid-terms this week. There are papers due, exams to take, and projects to complete. The library and computer lab is going to be full day-in and day-out with students trying to get their work done. Once these few weeks are over, we’re on a long stretch to the finish. For three weeks, until Thanksgiving, there are no breaks from the daily grind.
It should be up to both the student and teacher to make sure that the scholarly community continues to receive a quality education during these weeks. For most, this time of the year can seem monotonous. Class discussions seem to run one into another and there is an ever-present desire to skip your lectures.
We all need to fight these urges and continue to push on. At our university it’s easy to not get up and go to class. Being that we are mostly a commuter school, adding in a commute to your morning makes the decision of not coming in much easier. Most classes require regular attendance, making your choice of not going to class even more costly. Not only are you missing out on the notes, but you are being negatively graded for this.
Not all the blame lies on the student, however. Professors tend to find a style of teaching that they are comfortable with and stick with it. For some this is a great thing. For others this can create the class that every student dreads. With slideshow presentations, one after another can really take the student-teacher interaction out of the equation. Different teaching methods should always be explored.
Allowing students to work in groups, promoting more discussion, and perhaps leading discussions can really keep the pupils wanting more from their classes. That should be the desire of every instructor at this university. Our staff seems to only be concerned with teaching the required material and anything beyond that point is considered an afterthought.
Classes should be about learning as much as you possibly can, not just learning what you think you should. If you’re constantly pushing yourself as a student to look for more information and knowledge, you’re going to stay interested in your daily schedule and not look at it as a burden.
Over the coming weeks, members of our student body will either collapse or break through and shine. If you find yourself on the fence, take action and stay involved with what you are doing. The more attentive you are, the more it will show both on your transcript and to yourself when you look back at what you really spent your money on. Don’t let yourself run out of steam now, or you’ll never catch up later.