Tuesday, October 30, 2012

Twenty-Two Years of Classes


As I approach my final year in school, I have been reflecting on all my classes that I have taken.  Some of my classes were very interesting but had nothing to do with my major.  Other classes that were pertinent to my major have been completely useless to me and torturous to get through.  Now I know all subjects serve a purpose to help you branch out and learn more about the world.  Certain classes stick out in my head that have been favorites of mine.  Oddly enough, those classes had my favorite teachers.  If the teacher is passionate about the subject, he or she can make the most uninteresting subject amazing. 


Over the summer I took an investment class.  My professor was truly one of a kind.  Being a finance major some of the classes aren't the most lively because there is a lot of background you must learn in order to understand the subjects.  I thought investments would be one of these classes.  My professor, Professor Roth, truly loved his field of teacher.  He would come into class, start right on time, and speak with such enthusiasm.  He thought us important background details but we always touched on a lot of real world issues.  We would go over the movement of stocks by looking at The Wall Street Journal, and comparing them daily, monthly, and yearly.  He taught of class so many important things that he actually helped me get onto the track I’m on today.  Had I not taken his class, I would maybe have never found my interest in real estate.


One class that I don’t think I learned anything in was international business.  I know this is a very important topic and it can be quite an interesting subject, but my teacher was not engaging.  It was only offered as an online class, which I try to avoid because of the way I learn.  The material was in such a text book form.  Reading the material over and over again did not help me learn.  There were so many different things in the book that I couldn't understand on my own.  The online tests that we took were very long and covered so much material that I don’t know how anybody could have passed with an A.  If I had been an international business student, I would have switched my major.  Each subject has its own way of being interesting, but I truly believe that the teacher has the ability to turn it into something more.  


3 comments:

  1. I totally agree with you. I think the school system should strive to find more enthusiatic teachers. Some classes i have taken the teachers seem like they do no even want to be there. Why would the student want to be there themselves? I have learned the most from my teachers that were enthusiatic.

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  2. I agree with both of you Mich and Santino. Teachers can make all the difference to making students motivated to learn even if they subject is dry. Reading your blog and reflecting on my past years of education I do realize I was more engaged in my class with the more enthusiastic teachers. But in the end it comes down to the student who must want to succeed. What upper division finance elective class would you recommend? I havent taken any yet and would love your advice.

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  3. I took international business too and I agree with you one hundred percent. Many teachers are not passionate about teaching, they may be extremely familiar with the topic but they lack the desire to want to teach someone else. I have had many horrible teachers and few greats one which I think is a real problem that should be taken care of.

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