Teacher Knows Best (?)

 The venture to question the authority of professors is one that not nearly enough college students are willing to take. Even as full grown adults students often allow fear of retribution from their instructors to affect the quality of their education. In order to prevent total chaos from taking place it is the responsibility of teachers to enforce rules and organization.  I understand this I even encourage it. But I am not of the belief that educators should be gifted with some sort of mystical absolute authority over their students. It both confounds and concerns me that no matter what the situation students are blindly encouraged to “listen to the teacher”. And that any questioning of the teacher’s knowledge or authority regarding a subject is seen as disrespectful and unruly behavior.

The idealizing of this social role is not only potentially dangerous it is unjust. It does a disservice to all students because while they are formally educated and (usually) well versed in the subjects they are teaching teachers are not without the ability to be incorrect.

 We are repeatedly told “grades are not given they are earned” yet it is seen as bad form to risk pissing off the teacher. This attitude seems to be particularly applicable in humanities courses where educators often fashion their own definitions of terms and concepts. Here students are marked incorrect when their answer does not meet the confinements of their teacher’s definition despite the fact that the instructor’s definition may not be altogether accurate. Recently in my music survey course my professor stated quite confidently that “unless you know how to use an instrument you cannot call yourself a musical artist” completely eschewing song writers and producers. When I asked by whose definition she was defining the word artist she replied “the world’s” denoting that her narrow minded view of artistry was the only one that existed and significantly impairing her students’ learning experience.

 Now I don’t doubt that the qualifications for musicianship are regarded as interchangeable with that of an artist in many circles in the world. But to declare that these circles have absolute global authority with reckless abandon, especially in an academic setting, is just plain irresponsible. Yet teachers do this every day because acknowledging this irresponsibility, as I choose to do, is frowned upon and will continue to be until students begin demand that our educators stop hiding their personal agendas in the material they are supposed to teaching.  The opinions of instructors do have a place in scholarship. They help to present a more well-rounded view on any topic and frankly have the potential to make a boring in class discussion far more interesting. But the next time that your professor makes a sweeping statement that doesn't ring quite true to you don't be afraid to question whether or not your teacher actually does know best. Because it is imperative that in classrooms and lecture halls the line be clearly drawn between fact and fiction, even when the person delivering that fiction has a Ph.d.