Posted on 03/29/2025 5:10:50 AM PDT by Rummyfan
I’m Gen X. I was pretty young when I earned my PhD, so I’ve been a professor for a long time—over 30 years. If you’re not in academia, or it’s been awhile since you were in college, you might not know this: the students are not what they used to be. The problem with even talking about this topic at all is the knee-jerk response of, “yeah, just another old man complaining about the kids today, the same way everyone has since Gilgamesh. Shake your fist at the clouds, dude.”1 So yes, I’m ready to hear that. Go right ahead. Because people need to know.
First, some context. I teach at a regional public university in the US. Our students are average on just about any dimension you care to name—aspirations, intellect, socio-economic status, physical fitness. They wear hoodies and yoga pants and like Buffalo wings. They listen to Zach Bryan and Taylor Swift. That’s in no way a put-down: I firmly believe that the average citizen deserves a shot at a good education and even more importantly a shot at a good life. All I mean is that our students are representative; they’re neither the bottom of the academic barrel nor the cream off the top.
As with every college we get a range of students, and our best philosophy majors have gone on to earn PhDs or go to law school. We’re also an NCAA Division 2 school and I watched one of our graduates become an All-Pro lineman for the Saints. These are exceptions, and what I say here does not apply to every single student. But what I’m about to describe are the average students at Average State U.
(Excerpt) Read more at hilariusbookbinder.substack.com ...
A rare occurrence indeed. I had one student who had leukemia who we all gave as much slack as possible. Her parents dropped by one day and asked how she was doing. I told them considering her condition, she was doing well.
“Is she doing that again? She did that in middle school and high school as well. She’s not sick.”
The faculty all had a good laugh and secretly appreciated a well done scam we hadn’t seen before.
What were her actual consequences?
Her parents took her out of school at my university. I’m pretty sure that was the only penalty. She probably transferred our credits elsewhere and did it again.
Funny how children, like dogs, are a direct reflection of the attitudes of the parents.
Males learn differently, that’s why. Zero examples of kinetic acquisition. ✖️
... “Kinesthetic Learning Tips for Teachers
Kinesthetic learners need to move their bodies in order to learn. These students are often called “fidgety,” and some teachers might interpret their behavior as distracted or bored. However, a kinesthetic learner’s movement does not imply a lack of attention—in fact, it means that they’re trying to process information in the most effective possible way. Try these strategies for reaching kinesthetic learners in your classroom:
Allow kinesthetic learners to stand, bounce their legs, or doodle during lectures. You will get more out of them in class if they can move around a little bit.
Offer various methods of instruction—... “
From: https://www.thoughtco.com/the-kinesthetic-learning-style-3212046
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.