Why do some college instructors act rude toward students?

Question

When I went to Temple College I took a piano class because I've always wanted to learn how to play a piano. Well, I had this teacher who was old, mean and nasty to me. I was a beginner,just learning how to play. She would get upset and yell at me across the classroom and embarass me in front of my class. And one day she had the nerve to come up to me and say that she has low patience for slow learners. Usually, I'm a fast learner. I catch up real fast, but she always made me feel uncomfortable and nervous in her classroom. Any comments or advice?

Answer 1

Your expectations towards more patient and respectful treatment are perfectly reasonable. You have to understand though, that not everyone else shares those same normative standards of behavior. Both Russian and Chinese athletes in the Olympics for instance often spend many years with coaches and trainers who bellow at them and even call them names -- yet they really do love them very often. Harsh treatment is often seen by older people as a way of teaching you something. This isn't always true; she might just be a real jerk, but it remains true that what we define as good, normal behavior is not always the same as someone else sees it. I'm sorry you had this experience, but let it make you stronger, not sad. It's just part of life on earth with different kinds of people. One thing is sure, we are only able to give what we've been given, so obviously, someone treated her poorly also.

Rebecca
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Answer 2

Often, college professors like to generate an aura of their dominance in the classroom. They feel as if their years of learning and academic conquest have allowed them to think they are superior to you. Indeed, we should admit that intellectually they are probably superior to us; but that doesn't mean they should meanly impose it on us. Maybe some people can handle these environments, but obviously you can't take anymore.
Professors are like all other humans. They sometimes get selfish, nitpicky, and irritable. However, the fact that they're humans also means that they have certain responsibilities. And one of these is to be nice, unselfish, and altruistic. This is especially true for teachers because they ought to facilitate an environment where there is ease in learning and students aren't afraid to ask them for help (or aren't afraid of them for that matter). Yes, it's true that they should establish their authority in the classroom. But usually, it's already understood that they're the dominant figure in the class, so they don't need to be mean and nasty all the time to students just to show who's boss. Only when they have a class full of anarchic hooligans should they demonstrate their power and meanness. But I doubt that's the case for you.
This piano teacher shouldn't be seen as a good representative of all college professors. The few college professors that I've had or known are all very nice and cooperative. In fact, one is so cool that he said we can come and talk as friends whenever we want over a beer (even though I can't legally drink).
As for a solution to your problem, I don't think a direct confrontation is a good idea; if you tell her that you don't appreciate her behavior she might just lower your grade and make the situation worse. Unfortunately, there's nothing much that you can legally do to change her character. However, you can speak to the music department head or whoever her boss is and explain your grievances. Tell her boss that she's verbally abusing you in the classroom and that you want to learn piano but have an uncooperative teacher. I'm sure someone up the chain of command will listen. Best of luck.

Answer 3

Most people who teach at the college level have little or no instruction in 'teaching' per se and teach the same way they were taught. Aquiring a PhD often does not include information on how to teach or how to deal with students. These are usually researchers( or possibly performers or composers, with a piano instructor) and teaching is not what they want to do - they want to 'do' the work. If they wanted to teach, they would have become teachers, not college professors.

Answer 4

I teach at a university and its been my experience that a lot of my colleagues have a "God complex." They feel that since they have completed requirements for an advanced degreee, have done "serious academic research" and have tenure, they can treat their students like crap. And why not, they can't be fired except for something extremely serious.

Fortunately, not all of us are that way. Some of us remember what it was like to be a student and try to treat our students the way we would have liked to have been treated as a student. So don't judge all of us by your bad experience, please. There are a lot of us out there who are interested in helping you do your best. It sounds like you just got one of the proverbial "bad apples."

To find out what others say about the teachers, you might want to check out www.ratetheprofessor.com or ratemyprofessor - not too sure which is correct. Actually, there are two different sites and that might be names of both of them. That way you'll know who to steer clear of - and if that doesn't work, ask an upperclassmen. At least my students tell me its a good place to go find out about a teacher and they really don't have any reason to lie about it.

College should not be a negative experience and here's hoping you get better teachers in the future.

Answer 5

This is a bad teacher, you know, there is no love in the realation of teacher/student with that person. It will be difficult to learn something if you don't understand that in that case you must get an extra effort to get ahead in this situation of your life that will not be the last one as is usually in this live with all kind of persons. May be you are the teacher of something this person don't have. Pay atention if some day you will be in that position because it will be possible. Then remember from your past.

Answer 6

My advice.....tell her you have low patience for teachers who don't provide a cohesive, comfortable learning environment. :o)

Unfortunately there are teachers who do not like what they do and they let that influence the way they teach the students. My advice would be to ask around about teachers before you register for certain classes. Especially classes that are so one-on-one.

Answer 7

i do not ignore that an excellent style of those little ones come from truly prosperous households, and in Korean subculture, that is okay to be a touch condescending to someone of decrease status. of direction as people we do not imagine that is okay to ever do this no count what socio-economic status you're from, yet thats in simple terms how some cultures artwork. also, a number of those little ones are having an quite problematic time adjusting to American subculture and that is how they cope with it. an excellent style of yank little ones act this way too. i'd might want to assert that that is probably in simple terms ANY youngster that acts this way is many times a jerk.

Answer 8

Some college instructors think that, because they teach in a college environment and have a PhD, they are smarter than, and above, everyone else. My advice is that you tell the Dean about this instructor. I also suggest you forget about this instructor; she may think she knows it all, but in a few years, you will realize she doesn't know anything.

Answer 9

Ask her if you can give her some feedback... then explain your experience of her as you did above...

I taught college classes and my experience is students today are super rude and grossly entitled. My opinion, but the respect for profs is generally not there like it used to be - it is almost "Hey I paid my tuition now give me my grade..."

You have probably been stereotyped into that class...

Answer 10

Because they think that because they are educated, that they are superior to us. I had an instructor who was always rude, he was bias also. So one day in class, I give him a little taste of his own medicine because I was sick of it. He failed me, even though I was making the grade. He ended up not teaching there anymore because student began to report his stupid ***.

I hate college instructors. What a bunch of pricks!