A Better Way to Enjoy College Classes

   My mother is a professor in a woman’s university in Seoul as well. We share a lot about schooling, for she is a teacher of girls who are exactly my age. She is especially curious about my university life. She always asks for my opinion on my professors’ lecture styles, the Ewha students’ likes and dislikes, and most important of all, what makes the class more “fun” and also inspiring at the same time.

Yet, she is often saddened by the fact that many of her students don’t live up to her passion and enthusiasm despite her efforts to lead a fun, exciting college class. She seems to get bothersome impression from students when asking for more responses or participation, and group works. They would rather sit prettily and write down what professors say. She gives out assignments expecting some creative works, but most of the results she receives are endless “Ctrl+c”s and “Ctrl+v”s. She says she feels defeated, almost a failure as a teacher from such phenomenon.

Recalling her stories, I realized that there was a gap between the visions of the students’ and the professors’. I heard a lot of Ewhaians say how disappointing college life is, how different it is from their ‘vision’. We expected college to be different from high school, but I have noticed that many say with a long-face, “what is the difference?” “I have no idea what I have learned from this class.” But what I have also found out is that many Ewhaians wish to be ‘safe’ rather than be creative and daring. So as you can see, it seems like there is a rift between expectations of both sides because when the professors are trying to give us something, while some of us feel like we received not that much.

However, having a professor mom helped me have an insight of the situation through a different perspective. Maybe we are the ones that are constantly complaining? And maybe, we have not discovered the joy of in-depth studying. Worse of all, I hear a lot of insults or attacking comments on the professors’ characters or their whole being, which is totally unnecessary. It is always easy to blame and criticize. If we change our paradigms and try to understand the professors’ intentions, maybe those who want something more than A+s will enjoy classes more than we anticipate, even with the stiff professors. After all, a complainer will always be a complainer no matter what. 

By Lee Hye-min(Political Science & Diplomacy, 3)