Class

I keep telling myself that it will only get better. This semester has been a sore from the beginning. My students are indifferent, lazy, unmotivated. It just makes me want to scream. I guess I care a bit too much, and I expect too much change too soon. When you’ve been brought up with a spoon in your mouth at every turn and learning isn’t the main objective (results are 8-|), it’s hard for li’l ol’ me to try to change that perspective overnight. But it’s heart-warming to see some of them start responding to the way I teach. It’s gratifying to see a tiny spark growing in their eyes, when they enjoy learning, when they actually start to use their brains…instead of sitting on their asses just waiting for the answers to drop into their laps…as usual.

It’s hard to keep the cynicism from my voice when I’m faced with these ignorant students week after week. Especially in the lab, when it’s not their first time carrying out an experiment. It was painfully funny last week when one group did not even know which end of the probe to use to measure for the oscilloscope.

“Miss…miss…we’re not getting any reading larr…can you help us? What is wrong? We’ve checked our connections and everything seems okay wor…”

Concerned, I hoped their circuit wasn’t up to any tricks. You never know :-s I scanned their connections and I saw…that they had clipped the ground probe to the output and left the main probe dangling about.

“You said you know how to use the oscilloscope?”

“Yes…miss. I’ve used it before!”

“So you realize that there are two probes?”

“Oh…” Stunned look even though it was right in front of his eyes.

“One is for measurement and one is for ground? You know that?”

“Um…”

“So which is which? Can you tell me?”

Embarrassed silence from both students. Until the girl tries to speak up…

“Er…I think I’ve seen it done before. This should be…er…erm…” and she stuttered back into silence.

I let the silence torture them for a few more seconds before I taught them the correct way. In retrospect, I might’ve been a bit mean, but I’m sure they would now remember how to use an oscilloscope =D

As opposed to ‘nice’ lecturers who just ladle out food for their students, lay out their napkins and spoonfeed answers into their mouths. How will students ever learn to eat on their own? Oh right…their future bosses will continue to spoonfeed them, is it? I had no idea *roll eyes*