I currently teach at two schools, a four-year university with a graduate program and a two year community college. I have always assumed that you would have better students at a four-year university - boy, was I wrong!! There are several students that have told me that after they finish school at Tarleton State University, they are going to graduate school in the fall of '05. I don't think so!! These are some of the sorriest thinking, uncritical students that I have had!! Now I have only been teaching for about two years, one year which was mostly being a TA and substituting, but the students at Tarleton suck. The greatest thing about philosophy is the discussion, most of the questions in philosophy are never fully answered and if they are, these areas then become a part of the "hard" sciences. Basically, philosophy is mental weight-lifting; philosophy is not practical for its sake but practical for the sake of developing one's critical thinking... though it becomes practical in areas of philosophical ethics and philosophical theology.
Right now at Weatherford College, the two-year community college, I have students that are more critically thinking that the the students that are about to graduate at Tarleton. Not only that, but I enjoy teaching at Weatherford because the students challenge some of the claims that I present. The worst part about Tarleton is the amount of whining I endure from the students, I have bent over backwards so many of them would not fail... perhaps it is my fault, since they don't want to do the work, they should fail. Yet the students always whine... but this is the part that absolutely pisses me off. At least 1/3 to 1/2 of the class are Christians, and we read many medieval philosophers who are basically theologians... the complaining was never worse, during the reading of St. Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and Anselm. Due to a suggestion from Ang, next time I am in this situation I will present the anti-Christian viewpoint to make them think.
So what is the purpose of this rant... just to get my thoughts out there, next week - the last lecture period - will cover J. L. Austin, an analytical philosopher. Now is the time to cover some topics that I am interested in, not that I haven't done that already, but I will cover philosophy of mind and philosophy of language, both difficult topics. I am just pissed that the class talks during my lecture and whines so much, this last test will not be easy. I guess a good rule of thumb for students is don't disrespect the person determining your grade. Will I make the test more difficult than it needs to be? No, I will just ask tough questions and since the class never really cares about what I say anyway, I will talk about the questions then put them on the review sheet. Let me know if I am over-reacting. I have done everything in my power to make the class easy for the students, now I am just upset for the amount of disrespect I was shown last night. I don't demand to be respected - just not disrespected.
I am going to enjoy discussing speech-act theory and ideas about the present queen of France. Along with qualia and intentionality - but I doubt the class will, but hey, I am the one who has to drive over an hour to teach, it should be a subject that I enjoy talking about. Shouldn't it?
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