Letter to the Editor
March 28, 2015
Being a mathematics and education major, I find it vital to have not only
professors well versed in their subject but who are also able to effectively educate
and inspire students. Every semester, I put in some work and actively sought out the
professors with the best reputations and last year, when I decided to take a math course
during the summer to get ahead, it was no different. I asked around and found out from
my classmates that the professor that was scheduled to teach the class didn’t actually
do much teaching and that I wasn’t going to learn anything. I decided to take the class
anyway figuring that people were exaggerating and it couldn’t actually be that bad. I was
wrong.
I couldn’t believe how poorly this course was taught. The professor never gave a
syllabus and in those weeks we only covered two chapters. The professor would arrive
to class 10-20 minutes late and would end the class 20-30 minutes early. This 3-credit
course was supposed to be a total of 32 hours but the professor cut it down to about 24.
We were losing about 8 hours and learning nothing. Most of my classmates were thrilled
but I felt like I was being robbed. I paid for this class with my own money and I wanted
to learn something. It especially concerned me because this class was a pre-requisite for
a more advanced course I’d have to take later on. During the course, the professor would
initiate personal, off-topic conversations and remain off-topic for extended periods of
time. He would misplace our quizzes and promise to bring them in next the next week
then forget.
As I planned out my academic schedule for the year, I noticed that this same
professor was scheduled to teach the class following the pre-requisite for Spring 2015.
That was when I decided to do something. There was no way I was sitting through
another course with this professor so I created a petition. I asked STEM students to sign
it to remove this professor from teaching this higher-level math course. I wanted as many
signatures from my peers to prove that my story wasn’t the only.
Before each of my classes, I would get up in front of the students who were early
and explain that what I was trying to do. I wanted to inspire students to sign the petition
because they were invested in their educations and tired of teachers who had obviously
stopped caring. While some students immediately agreed to sign their names, I also got a
lot of “Come on, he’s an easy A!” as a reaction. Eventually I got a total of 29 signatures
and I presented this to the head of the math department. It was then passed on to the Dean
of the College of Arts and Sciences. A week later, the Dean held a meeting with a group
of students to discuss our concerns.
I went to this meeting prepared with evidence, class notes, and other materials to
back up every point we were making. My petition was a success! With the help of my
peers, we were able to change the professor for the course. As I explained to the Dean,
what motivated me to make this change is I’m not just concerned with my education. I’m
concerned with the young women who will follow me into the STEM program, walking
into classrooms that are predominantly filled with men. I’m writing this letter because
I want to let other NJCU students know that they can take control of their educations.
I want them to know that they deserve better than professors who are just collecting
paychecks and know they have the ability to affect change if they feel they are not
receiving the best possible education the university has to offer.