1. Late/Lazy Teachers
I've had some continuously late teachers over the course of the semester, and they always have the worst excuses for their laziness. I'm quite lazy myself, but if you're teaching a class, you should be there on time. I had one teacher who consistently showed up 10 minutes late to class. One time she was even 30 minutes late. My classmates and I wanted to leave every time, but we usually had specific things to turn in or get done. Then that same teacher would keep us in class late because she "usually lets us out early." WORST.
The only benefit to lazy teachers is that they frequently have to cancel classes due to "personal reasons."
2. "The notes are online, but I add things in during lecture"
This is almost always a lie, and I hate it. It is a tactic to get kids to come to class, but it doesn't even work. Kids still don't come to class. And I, a student who goes to class, am forced to pay attention to the teacher's every word in case he/she says something that could be put on the test. I usually realize after the first test that the exams are made up entirely from the book/lecture and not what the teacher says. Then I don't pay attention.
3. Teachers who don't use the REQUIRED book
"Don't forget to buy the required books for this class. They are important!" - We've all heard that before. We listen and ultimately spend way too much money on books we never need or use. Then we sell them back to the university (or someone else) for almost nothing. I try to wait and feel out the class before I buy my books, but I still tend to ignore some of the books.
4. "Let's sit in a circle!"
College is not kindergarten. The last thing I want is everyone looking at me when I say something, especially if no one agrees with what I'm saying. Instead of continuing the discussion, everyone just looks at their desks or phones in order to avoid eye contact with me or whoever last spoke. I've only had one class where a circle setting has worked well. The circle just isn't worth it. People always come in late and have to awkwardly take a chair from the middle of the room and shove it between two already cramped students. There's a lot of moving around before class, and then it is courteous to put the chairs back afterward. Circles, squares, ovals, stars - never a good idea.
5. Dinosaurs
I'm not saying all old teachers are bad, but I hate it when teachers refuse to adapt to new technology. I cringe every time I see this in a classroom:
The overhead projector shown above is no doubt much nicer and cleaner than any projector my teachers use. Old projectors tend to have blotches on the lens and are usually blurry. They are horrible for taking notes, especially when the teacher uses a stapler as a paper weight (it covers up half of what I'm trying to write down). There are new, nice projectors that colleges have spent money on - use them. Also, you're a teacher - learn how to use the online grading system and email set up by the school. It will make things much easier for everyone.
I had one teacher who refused to do anything online because he was afraid of viruses. I had another teacher who didn't know how to work a VCR, yet showed a bunch of movies in her class (a student worked the VCR). Aren't VCR's supposed to be from an "older generation" of people? Kids today don't even know that they are. Technology is supposed to make things easier, yet the continuous refusal to use new things makes things harder on students.
I know there are probably many more teachers I hate, but those are the top five. Hopefully I won't run into any of them ever again.
HAHAH great list. Another bad one is the professor who asks if anyone has any questions, and when someone asks a question they just tear them apart and make them feel like an idiot.... yep good method there, that makes sense.... ugh
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