|
|
Re: [MATHEDU] In case you think you've got it bad...
Posted:
May 10, 2002 2:32 PM
|
|
"Martin C. Tangora" wrote:
> Two side comments:
>
> (1) If you are not an MD and you are trying to get respect
> in the medical (or paramedical) community
> you absolutely must have some kind of doctorate.
> One man who abandoned his effort to get a math PhD
> and went into hospital administration
> returned to finish his math PhD because
> without the "Doctor" in front of his name
> nobody would pay him any respect.
> I'm guessing that pharmacists are especially
> subject to this exaggerated respect for the MD.
Yes, you're right. However, the college now has an all Pharm.D. program, which
is a six year program. No qualifying exams, no thesis. They are sensitive to
trying to get MD level respect, but the professional program is more like a
high-level trade school in contrast to a real graduate program or MD program.
>
> (2) With all due sympathy for John Pais's situation,
> his decision not to post grades is punishing the innocent.
> If he doesn't have tenure he can't do much about the
> unreasonable boss, but his action seems misdirected.
> It is like leaving the waiter no tip in a fancy restaurant
> because the owner was rude to you.
> (My idea in this situation is to order the most expensive
> bottle of wine and then send it back.)
>
You have a point which I considered. However, there is no respect for
math/science faculty at this (small) school, so when some impatient students go
to the registrar to complain that I am not there to talk to them about there as
yet unfinished grades, instead of encouraging them to give me a chance to finish
and do a good job etc., the administration fuels the negative opinion of me. So,
not posting grades, is the only leverage (lame as it is) I have to get
everyones' attention in order to try to keep me from caught in the middle. I
have some wonderful students and some with incredible nerve and incivility.
Once again, I learn a tremendous amount about what my students know by giving
exactly the type of final exam that I described. In particular, I learn where
their gaps are which I consider crucial for me to modify and continuously
improve the course.
Best wishes,
John
This is an unmoderated distribution list discussing teaching and learning
of post-calculus mathematics.---David.Epstein@warwick.ac.uk
Get guidelines before posting: email majordomo@warwick.ac.uk saying
get mathedu guidelines
(Un)subscribe to mathedu(-digest)by email to majordomo@warwick.ac.uk saying:
(un)subscribe mathedu(-digest)
|
|
