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Posted by Daniel on May 22nd 2006 to PI, Professional Reflections, Spring 2006



This is the week that our students give their presentations about the contributions of different types of engineers to specific products that we encounter in everyday life. It’s easy to see where our mutual loyalties lie this week.

Section A asked me if I was planning on being in the class for their presentations. They sounded like they wanted me to come so I said yes. Section B did not ask and I did not go. I figured they could do their presentations for me during our only class today. They did but not with much enthusiasm. Basically, I’ve connected with Section A much better than I have with Section B. The reasons are fairly easy to see.

Section A is the top. This means that they generally have a better level of language, which means greater ease of communication. Additionally, the majority of the class is motivated, even if they are not particularly (self-) disciplined. Finally, I’m assigned to them 10 hours per week. Even though I have no input to their grades, this frequency of contact makes me better than a “substitute teacher”.

Conversely, Section B sees me so rarely that I’m more like a “substitute” than a “real” teacher. Furthermore, the majority of the class is not nearly so motivated as Section A and may be even less (self-) disciplined as a group than Section A. Section B also seems to have more students with markedly lower abilities even though Section B is one from the top. In other words, the difference in abilities from Section A to Section B is unexpectedly large.

I felt much more compelled to be present during the regular class time for Section A’s presentations than I did for Section B’s. In fact, I didn’t go to B’s presentations during their scheduled time but rather used our class time for the students to do them again for me.

I think that had I been their lead teacher, shouldering the majority of their instructional hours I would have managed to bond with them much better, even though so many of them lack motivation and maturity.

I’ll be glad to have my own class again in the Fall.

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