Dave,
I also went back as an adult to finish my degrees. Like you, I had to take a few filler classes and took Sociology. Now, I lean to the right of Genghis Khan. Our tenured "professor" was about 60 years old and spent most of the class time patting himself on the back for all the social work he did on the weekends (this was a 3 hour weekend class, more later). The rest of the time was spent on how corrupt and unfeeling all the Republicans were, Reagan was the devil incarnate, and how Stalin was on the right track. I'd say the class was 80% traditional age and the rest were old folks like me. However, looking around at all the nodding faces, I felt I was the Lone Ranger and kept my mouth shut. One day, after a particularly outrageous, inaccurate, and completely ridiculous diatribe, I was walking down the hall shaking my head during a break. I traditional aged girl walking behind me said, "Can you believe the crap he spews out week after week?" I thought, yes! there is hope for this generation!
Now me being me...I looked up Professor Allaboutme's teaching schedule for the past few years. Since I was a non-traditional student, my classes were evenings and weekends and I always saw him there on the weekends. It turns out he works a full schedule just about every weekend. So unless his social work runs from 8pm to 4am, I doubt he is getting much done - no way. Our final paper was 80% of our grade. I wrote mine on the welfare state and medical care. I interviewed over a dozen doctors at the hospital where my wife works as a nurse. I will not get into specifics, but they all pretty much trashed his stance on everything. The last class we watched a glorified movie about the old USSR and then he handed our papers back. He handed out everyone's but mine and told me he wanted to see me after class.
After everyone left, he closed the door and proceeded to yell at me about how this was the worst, most inaccurate, cold hearted, collection of fiction he had ever read. Yes, he yelled! After he finally shut up, I calmly asked him when was the last time he performed one of his feats of grandeur in the social realm. He went on and on about how just last week, blah, blah, blah... I asked him if he skipped class to do that or if this was just another one of the many lies he's told us all semester long - as I read off his weekend class schedules for the last two years. He threw my paper at me and told me to get out. I then told him with a smile, "I sat through an entire semester of your point of view without challenging one thing, very difficult - and now the facts noted in my paper are getting in the way of a good discussion?" He literally screamed, "Your entire paper is a lie!" Now, being German, and not being smart enough to know when to walk away, I said, "Save your drama for the kids, as there is nothing about you that impresses me. Your behavior only confirms what I know to be true." He looked like he was going to have a stroke and started screaming, "Get out!" over and over. Of course I took my time gathering up my books and told him to have a nice day as I walked out. When I got outside there were about 6 traditional age kids from my class that were saying, "That was awesome!". I looked at my paper and every single line was marked out in red with comments written in the margins and on the back. He had even attached additional pages with all sorts of incoherent babbling. On the last page he had given me an "A". Uh oh...... I figured he had already flunked me because of his out of control response. I told the kids that it is sometimes better to retreat and have the last laugh when grades come out, knowing your idiot professor didn't influence you - that you have to be smarter than city hall. THinking the worst, I went to the dean of the department and explained the exchange, telling her I had witnesses. I was also very adamant that I had better get a passing grade and that his behavior was completely unacceptable. She did not say much, other than they would look into it. I did get an "A". I'd bet that if I had been 18 or 19, they would have thrown me out. I told my wife that I would have looked pretty stupid trying to prove a point with this guy - cutting off my nose to spite my face. He holds all the cards and will never change. It's like jumping up and down in the middle of the woods. I feel better, but nobody else cares!
So yes Dave, grin and bear it, and do a brain dump at the end of the semester! If the Dean is a reasonable person, you can take your notes to him/her after the fact. You never know.
Jim
Topic: Why grown up peoples should never go back to college. (Read 21001 times)