Have you ever had a teacher say THIS?

Question

"The vast majority of you will fail this class..." Or something similar?

If you have, tell me what was said and what you were thinking.

For future reference; if it happens again, get up and walk out and tell the admissions office why you no longer want to take that class with that teacher.

NO teacher has any right to say this, no matter the reason. Being a former teacher, I am letting you know this is the mark of a really poor teacher.

Think about it...if that many are failing, and they are teaching, what does that say about them? Understand my point?

Answer 1

As a teacher, I can see why some teachers would say that phrase to motivate students to work hard and prove them wrong. But as a scare tactic, it's horrible. I never had a teacher say that -- but I did find out later that one of my profs was put on probation for failing too many students (Fortunately, I was not one of them). I would definitely report the statement and let the higher ups decide if this is a ploy, poor technique or what.

Answer 2

This may be common in college, but not in high school.

I was in a freshman engineering class when the professor said 50% of you will fail. A friend of mine walked out to change class, and the department advisor just told him that the other professor who taught the same course had 75% failure rate.

At the high school level, you try to "save" as many students as possible. But at the college level, the purpose of the professor isn't so much to teach or "save", but to filter out the students.

Certainly at the high school level, teachers end up "begging" the students to hang on to the point where they lower the standards to pass them. This may be why the colleges have to be tougher on the students. I can't say that this is right/wrong since this is how our education system has evolved for our colleges and high schools.

Answer 3

I had a teacher say something similar about 20 years ago, and 11 or 12 out of a class did stand up and walk out. It was a class of 18 people, and it turned out she was right, because all the morons that walked out DID fail the class. Go figure!

Answer 4

One of my teachers said that. He said,"75% will fail before the year is through." Frankly, I wouldn't let it get me down. The teacher was COMPLETELY wrong. Out of 25 of us, only 4 didn't pass. All I was thinking was I'll show him he's wrong...and I did. Ended up with an A- in the class.

Answer 5

Yep, I had a Professor who at the beginning of the term for every one of his classes ( I took him 3 times) stated that the class was very mathematically heavy....the only thing was he was a Professor of Political Science. I was not good in math but always passed his classes. I later learned that he did that so 75% of the people who drop and he would not have to teach and grade work for as many students. Crazy huh?!

Answer 6

I was an undergrad and I cried. I was young and inexperienced, the next time I heard it I laughed and ignored it. Its a stupid ploy that weak teachers use to get their student's attention. The problem is in the process the teacher loses the student's respect. Not all people who teach are great teachers just like not all doctors or even Presidents are great.

Answer 7

Yup, my first ap class. I took world history ap and my teacher said this exact phrase. I ended up getting an a in both semesters, and I got a 4 on the exam! So, I am pretty sure it was all talk.

Answer 8

Hasn't happened to me. It's the same as the teacher saying "I am ineffective at conveying this material" and I think your recommended course of action is correct, plus an email or visit to the dean.

Answer 9

Just a warning to let students know that this is a hard class to pass.

Answer 10

Why?
Teachers are just people and they get sick of bad/stupid/disruptive kids as much as the rest of us.
There's only so much they can do. Teachers aren't miracle workers, they can't get no-hopers to pass!!!