JMU professors lack etiquette

So I was thinking…

As an in-state student, I pay upwards of $10,000 to attend JMU, part of which goes toward class tuition. I once heard that each class at JMU costs in the neighborhood of $40 per class. To make sure that I get my full $40 worth, I attend class regularly — with the exception being days when I am ill. This semester, however, I’ve discovered that what I’m "learning" in some classes I can easily teach myself, and that classroom etiquette is lost on many professors at JMU.

One semester, a professor of mine came to class completely unprepared. The professor showed up with no PowerPoint slides and proceeded to type a couple of sentences into a Word document using the computer in the classroom. Ten sentences and 50 minutes later, I’d heard the professor digress on a completely irrelevant topic all because he had nothing better to say.

Later that semester, a professor let my class go four minutes late because he had been so busy repetitiously talking about irrelevant political subjects that he didn’t get to any pertinent classroom information. As I ran outside, I saw the bus that I needed to catch to get me to a meeting across campus pulling out of its stop. When I returned to my room, the professor had sent the class an e-mail to remind us that although we had not finished covering the material in class, it would be present on the exam.

Earlier this semester, I stood outside of a classroom for eight minutes after it was supposed to have been let out. Not only were the students inside late, but the professor’s lack of punctuality also prevented me from adequately preparing the room for a presentation I had to give during the next class. As witness to professors who demand respect in the form of class attendance and timely arrivals, it only is fair that professors do the same in the way of letting students out of class on time and being prepared for the day’s lecture.

I have had professors who use the classroom to parade their own politics, make fun of students and suppress creativity. In my time at JMU, I’ve been subjected to the same routine approaches, papers and classroom discussions — what happened to challenging the students? When students are begging for a challenge in college, something is amiss.

Professors always ask: "Did you come to college to gain knowledge or to learn skills for a higher paying job?" The answer is both, and, yet, I am doing neither. I can write an A+ research paper with my eyes closed and tests simply are memorization of the book. Many professors forgo instructional testing and base their tests solely on the textbook material that is learned outside the class. In this instance, it seems all I need from some professors are their syllabi and their blessing to only attend class on exam days.

While I may be held at the mercy of many students who are comfortable with the laxity found in the classroom, I hope to present a voice for the equally-important number of students who are not. It would not be fair to say that there is no subject that I struggle in; unfortunately, there are several. However, in those classes, it is my own lack of understanding that causes me to have difficulties, not the level of intensity of the course.

In my time at JMU, I have had 22 professors; after reviewing their courses, I find that only 10 challenged me enough to take away valuable knowledge from their courses. So different was my classroom experience with these 10 professors that I would call them outstanding. Please understand that I do not believe that teaching involves fancy PowerPoint presentations, being enthusiastic at 8 a.m. or even that a professor gives easy As; I’d much rather work for my grades.

What I expect is to have gained knowledge, been adequately challenged and to have been respected as a hardworking student. In return, I will give professors the full appreciation and attention they deserve. After all, professorship is an educational honor, but so is attending college.

Ashley Lusk is a junior pre-communications studies major.