Teacher Issues

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I am having trouble with a teacher at my college. He has the personality that is anyone ask him a question that is an alternative view to what he is teaching in class that I am automatically challenging him.
Last week he sent me an e-mail saying I was continually using a tone of challenge. But I was just asking in a logical way because I wanted to know. He's completely against alternate and open view points and I am finding this teacher is ruining my experience with this class. Like I have completely shut down. Wednesday I just gave up.
I am not the kind of person who goes into a classroom with blind belief. I need a teacher to logically give me proof of why the alternate view point is wrong. I need stimulating and engaging discussion learning environment. I try to adapt, but its annoying. Because I am stuck:

-If I continue saying alternate view he'll do what my last teacher did, give me a lower grade based on how he felt

-If I don't participate in the class discussion half my grade goes down the toilet

-If I participate, but only say what he wants to hear I will be lying and I don't want to lie

I am at a lost to what I am to do. I don't know how to handle this.

Does your college have a center for disabilities or similar office? If so, have you registered with them? A lot of post-secondary institutions, as one of the accommodations/services they offer to disabled students, will serve as an advocate on behalf of the student in disputes. They might be willing to mediate a discussion between you and your professor, and will tell you if he is indeed out of line or if you are being unreasonable in your expectations. After all, we tend to view things a little differently, and what seems as logical and acceptable to you might seem disrespectful to him - perhaps it really is, perhaps not. But they can help you both figure that out and find a solution that satisfies everyone (hopefully).

If your school does NOT have such a service, is there any resource group in the community? They likely have representatives who could assist you and offer a similar solution.

[For the record, I'm a former college, now uni student who has dealt with both very helpful disability centers and completely unhelpful ones as well. I've also had a lot of issues with teachers, though not since high school, so I understand where you're coming from. Oh, and nice Ciel avatar picture!]

You might be in a no-win situation as far as a grade for that particular class is concerned, and I would never recommend trading your personal character for any such comparitive trinket. "The Paper Chase" is a favorite old movie for me where "Professor Kingsfield" makes it clear to his first-year law students that he is there to teach them *how* to think rather than telling them *what* to think, and the teacher you have mentioned apparently has a much-different agenda.

If he is not asking for alternate views, do not speak them.



On debate teams, people are occasionally assigned to make arguments they do not actually embrace themselves. During class discussions, can you just try to help be sure everyone there has clearly understood whatever the *teacher* is saying? Helping others understand him is not the same thing as helping him tell other people what to think.



Is he asking for an opinion, or is he asking questions to see whether you have comprehended what he is saying?

You *might* be in a no-win situation, but the greater mind might yet find a way to still at least not lose all!

I have problems with a teacher at my school too. She is my creative writing teacher, but she is very egotistical and basically thinks that her opinion is correct and will not let someone argue against it. If they try to, she either cuts them off, saying that we need to move on, or tells them to see her after class so that she can tell them to not argue with her. I think that especially in a creative writing class, varied opinions should be valued. This is going to be a hard class if this continues; not because of the work, but because of the narrow-mindedness of the teacher.

This here.
A lot of the time in our discussions he ask for people's opinions. And all the time he has to say something that undermines my ability of an opinion. To turn around and make me look dumb.

@Suzu: I have not been diagnosed by a professional that I have AS. However, a lot of the experiences, a lot of the things I have gone through, experience felt, etc. have been linked directly to AS. But my parents don't believe that I have AS and they think I'm being ridiculous. And thus I can't get myself tested and diagnosed. So I am not liable for the disabilities services at my school.

I'm a teacher. Generally speaking, we don't deliberately set out to hurt or shut anyone down. Sometimes it happens, though. We always try to give what we think our students need. Often, when we're talking to a large class, things don't work out the way we want. I always want to explain things in great detail, and I love having an interesting conversation with an inquiring mind. Sometimes I just can't have that when there's 30 kids and lots to get through. Sometimes I have to close off a conversation to move forward, hoping all the while that the reasons for things will come through eventually. I know I don't know what's happening in your class, or who your teacher is, but I do know that just as you want your teacher to have lots of time and patience for you, he wants you to have it for him. Just as you want him to see your point of view, he probably wants you to see his. I'd advocate patience and good-will. If you don't want to compromise your integrity, that might mean holding your tongue occasionally. Perhaps you can wait until after class to ask your questions. If he sees as challenging you, he might feel better about talking when you're not doing it in front of the rest of the class.

I'd just remember that he probably has the best intentions, just as you do.

Like you, Clyde, I have not been formally diagnosed, although I am a positive self-diagnosed (and if it helps, I'm a definite on internet tests )
Like you, my parents think I am being ridiculous.
And like you, I have problems with most teachers, who don't understand me, and think I am being extremely egotistical (i.e. arguing, staring out the window because I apparently "think I'm too good to do work", asking why we are repeating the topics over and over...)
Sorry, I can't offer advice, I have an ongoing problem as well, which I don't know what to do about.
All I can say is that:
- you're not alone
- if possible, speak to guidance counsellor, GATE co-ordinator, or directly go to the teacher. First apologise, then state what you would like to change. Perhaps bring someone, or practise a speech

It can also depend on what you mean by 'alternate viewpoints'. If you're in a biology class, for instance, and want to spend a lot of time talking about intelligent design, I can see why a professor might not want to do so. Take an extreme example as emblematic of the issue. If you are in a world history course and are learning about World War II, there are people with the 'alternate viewpoint' that the Holocaust never happened. However, it is unlikely the professor would give such a discussion much room to occur, any more than a geography professor would want to discuss flat earth theory. Can you tell us what the class is covering, and what questions the professor is responding to that makes you feel like you're being shut down?

Its a class about Mass Media and Mass Media communication and the study of the wide variety of mass media.

In one of the classes he goes,

"Blogs aren't a good source of information and have nothing valuable to offer, I don't like them, I won't use them,"

I raise my hand. He let's me speak.

"What about academic blogs? I have found some very valuable sources from academic blogs written by independent people,"

He moved his position.

"I don't care if its an academic blog or not, I don't like them, and I won't use them and I don't want them used in my class," <---yeah the second time he added class, the first time he said nothing about class

In another of our classes he goes,

"The Daily Show and what is that other one The Colbert Report, are here for purely only entertainment," he pauses, "They provide no other source, but to be funny."

I reply after raising my hand and stuff, "There are many forms of journalism. The Daily Show in particular uses satire to say you cannot go and watch let's say for example Fox News with blind belief. To do your research. It may be entertaining, but for me at least and my family its also something that we can research and talk about. Make our own views and look at what he's talking about."

My teacher stares at me I don't watch eyes most cases I watch body language, he crosses his arms like he is being defensive, "I can buy that you bring up a good argument," He says while shaking his head no, subconsciously of course.

The "teacher" there seems to have biased opinions he does not want to have challenged, so do not challenge them. Whether or not anyone at all might think it should, that classroom does not exist for the free exchange of ideas.

Which is total bull let me get word for word what his syllabus says:

"You will be judged on your intellectual contribution to the discussions. I respect and accept all open opinions."

Yet, he clearly doesn't. But I should have known, if you have to say you're something you're probably not.

Ah! It seems he is suckering people in by leaving out a few words ...

"I respect and accept all [students] open [to embracing my] opinions."

I also have great difficulty within environments like that.

lol.

The main issue is focusing in class right now. I don't go into a classroom and blindly believe what the textbook or the teacher says. As said the teacher and the book have to provide sound and logical arguments against mine. If they cannot then I do not believe them. If I ask a question in that manner it means I want to be proven that is the case. However, I am not being proven wrong. He keeps throwing out straw men arguments and he too is falling prey to the false authority syndrome.

So instead because I feel so stuck, I disconnect and go into my mind and my own thoughts and don't pay much attention to the class any more. He's completely disengaged my interest or my general like of the class.

I definitely understand.

I cannot do this very well myself, but maybe you can have simultaneous-with-class non-verbal debates with him within your own mind while occasionally asking out-loud questions along the way? Or if that causes "disconnect" all by itself, just takes notes of things he says and later outline and categorize them while bringing your own stuff into the mix.

I have to somehow find a way to reengage myself. But I don't know how to.

It is always disappointing to discover something is not as promised and/or expected, and especially when the expectation was quite reasonable from the very beginning.

One of my daughters has a B.A. in journalism from a state university, and she had some of your kind of struggle with biased-agenda-driven teachers.

Whatever you do, just do not sell yourself for the sake of some grade that will never actually put food on your table.