Today was the day that all of the lengthy and laborious emails I sent to my Algebra instructor were quantified. During the first days of class, I've entertained the idea that I may be "out of practice" due to my inability to grasp the teachers instructions on information that I already knew. Then, on day 5, she (the instructor) sprung a "pop" quiz on the class. "Pop" quiz? Seriously? What am I in grade school? The only thing I could thing of was how rude and inappropriate that was. The result of that "pop"quiz is to be applied to my final grade and of course, I failed it. I don't know about the rest of the class but I wanted an A! I felt like she was intentionally threatening that?!
Immediately after class I was moved to inform this instructor of the inappropriateness of her stinkin "pop" quiz and of her discomfiting teaching style (in the most professional manner possible mind you). It went something like: Your instruction is valuable to me......pop quizzes interfere with objectivity due to added stress and anxiety.........blah, blah, blah, you get the picture. She responds by writing that I should schedule a meeting with her to reinforce the material...... blah, blah, blah. I then had a sinking feeling that the A, I so despretley wanted, was unattainable due to my inability to understand and her inability to instruct.
That is when the proverbial shyt hit the fan. In the next class, a lot of the other students started voicing their inabilities to understand her-- No, No, No, let me restate that; they started down right attacking this poor little Asian teacher on the way she's teaching (or should I say not teaching). So much so, that there was an out burst from a different person every step of the way. Either she was moving too fast or not explaining all of the steps. I secretly and quietly sat in the back of the class smirking and giggling to myself as the validation of my feelings manifested in the voices of those, mmmm, how should I saaaay..... ghetto acting students(?).
I suddenly, no longer felt the need to send lengthy emails to the instructor and/or administration for the disgruntle feelings I had about paying for a service (school) that I am not getting. For all the mouthy ladies and gentlemen in the class, it was only a matter of time before she adhered to the requests in my emails and the voice of the masses. Or so you would think. But nooooooo. While only showing slightly noticeabe, minute, changes in her instruction, she continued on with her speed teaching and skipping pivotal instructions all the while, adding confusion to the mix by not adhering to specific formulas for problem solving. Basically, flip floppin, back and forth as if to intentionally misdirect. And on top of that, had a stinky attitude.Two months into the course, the class size reduced to about 50% of it's original size (undoubtedly due to her ill teaching manner). And, I was feed up with her and the class disruptions. I was moved again to write. I wrote the lengthiest of lengthy emails to her, in the most scholarly fashion imaginable, outlining all of the negative effects that her "teaching" practices had on the class and things she can do to improve information retention as well as how to increase the percentage of class size retention. I then carbon copied the entire math depart. I'm talking math Deans, Professors, Presidents, Instructors and all. Pause..... Digest ...... OK.
Well, long story a lil bit shorter-- Today, 20 minutes before class was to be dismissed, the instructor announced that a class evaluation was going to be given in the remaining 15 minutes of class. She left and another instructor came in and passed out scan trons. The students in the class laughed and joked about how easy it was going to be. I, sitting in the back of the class with my same little smirk as before, filled out my evaluation of her a bit more kindly than I felt was deserved, for I knew that the rest of the class would certainly crucify her.
