KMessage to My Freshmen Students”, summarizes the process by which he will greet his first year students, and his expectations for them as a new college student. He highlights his post by addressing differences between professors and teachers. Teachers assume responsibility for your actions, grades, etc., he says, professors do not. Professors, he claims, are here to guide you to knowledge, but will not force you to learn the knowledge, or retain it. They champion the mindset that they do not care if you make an A or an F, “I get paid the same either way.” In high school, teachers assumed all or most of the responsibility for a child’s abilities or lack thereof, in college however, you do. High school curriculum would serve students better if it focused on developing listening skills, Parsons adds, rather than test-taking drills. Classes are merely credits, and nothing more; chances to earn their diploma, but professors see it as a way to expand your knowledge. Citations and bibliographies are unimportant to the freshmen student, whereas professors see these simple tasks as a subtle difference that speaks volumes on the carelessness of today’s youth. Students need to focus on more skills, such as critical thinking and critical listening.
Parsons describes his stereotypical freshmen student, saying he has been told they are
eith M. Parsons’ blog-post, “ Parsons describes his stereotypical freshmen student, saying he has been told they are
"apathetic, incurious, unresponsive, and inattentive."
Claiming that he does not agree with this portrait of a student, he paints a kindred picture, however, when depicting his own students. Parsons’ severed viewpoint remains, that his job is not to enlighten students, but rather to lead them to knowledge, and allow them to take it as they may. This viewpoint carries him into the mindset that students are solely focused on credits, and subsequently, on diplomas. I refute that students see classes/college in this way, instead, I advocate for students that go through college and work so vigorously every day to be successful. These same “freshmen students” Parsons describes are the same ones that I admire, pursuing their goals every day and seeing every class and every assignment as a new challenge, a new skill they can learn or obstacle they can overcome. I repudiate this mindset that we are just drones moving along on the assembly line that is college. I endorse that we are all unique people, with rare mindsets and a new light to shine on every topic, and each with the potential to provide powerful insight and rebuttal at every turn, with little to no focus on just receiving a credit.
My interpretation of college thus far has been that while everyone may not be good at a certain type of learning, everyone gives it their best shot and adapts to their given situation. He sarcastically scolds newer professors, and that they are too hasty to cater to their need for constant stimulation. I disavow this pessimistic view; this catering serves as a way for newer professors to reach more students, and engage them in new ways every day. His argument against high school curriculum encourages the notion that Parsons needlessly goes against the grain, stating that it is flawed and focuses on the wrong ideals. High school standards are designed for success even beyond high school, not solely on mediocre test-taking. I corroborate that he bases his lectures and academic cultures on an “outdated set of norms and values”, which attends to his lack of success in this new era of teaching/learning. The same way we are expected to adapt and overcome obstacles, should professors not adhere to these same values, more or less reinventing themselves and their academic culture, as society continues to grow and change?