Feeling discouraged

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I have been desperately trying to finish my prerequisites and I started this path when I was 37. I am about to be 40 this coming up a month from now and whereas as most people would celebrate their day, I, on the other hand, feel somber and just disappointed in my self. I have been stuck in the same math course for almost a year, and every semester I end up dropping because the professor wasn't exactly on top of their Q and A's. I usually end up dropping the classes because of circumstances that are intolerable to the success of the student. For example, I had a professor, call out a special needs student because they were frustrated and crying, calling this student a "cry baby" and decided to laugh thinking it was hilarious, despite the dismay of the rest of us felt and expressed. This is just one instance. And I have reported her. But this is one of many " professional instructors" that I have dealt with and I have come to realize that Chaffey college, doesn't exactly have the greatest math department. I have a math professor at the moment, who didn't realize the school's course numbers and sections changed.....a year and a half ago...and that's just the tip of the ice burg. I'm deicing to drop that class as well, because he doesn't explain anything that he is doing, just writing equations on the board without saying much of anything to their students. They were late on the first day which left most of us wondering if we were in the right class ( 30 minutes late btw) and left in a hurry an hour and a half before the class ended. It left everyone confused and stunned with questions that the professor apparently didn't want to deal with. Something else was an apparent priority. I stay up most nights now until 3 in the morning with only four hours of sleep to get me onto my next day. I am trying.

I get that its the student's responsibility to understand the material, but I feel like it is also the responsibility of these professors/ instructors to lecture and teach appropriately. I did have one wonderful instructor, who was amazing, and they transferred out of Chaffey to the riverside district. Most of the Math instructors at this school are tenures, and VERY comfortable with their position, refusing to retire which would allow fresh instruction to be implemented. And the only ones that are suffering, is us. I feel so defeated and tired, very discouraged. Most of all I feel angry. Most professors at Chaffey are amazing, but their courses are not imperative to the degree I am pursuing and I am fluffing my schedule with classes I don't necessarily need right now to keep my financial aid and grants because of this Math class that is occupied by professors and instructors that need to go and be rotated.

I have tried so hard to get through the last math subject in order to finish the rest of my reqs, but I realized that I cant if I stay at Chaffey. I feel discouraged. It's going to take me yet another year! Before I am done with my prerequisites because of these math classes. I decided to transfer. I need to. By the time i have my LVN license, I will be a whopping 42 years of age... I was supposed to already be in the program and not dealing with this crud. I guess I need encouragement or something. I feel like I keep getting hit with roadblocks and I am over it. I have 4 W'S now... all in this math course. I just couldn't stand by and take the courses when certain things were happening that violated a student's rights to learn. Was I wrong for dropping out though? Even though I reported these professors?

Thank you so much for reading this. At least it's teaching me how to manage my stress more efficiently.

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Hello Vixyn,

I'm kinda in the same situation its good to know that I'm not suffering alone. I started pre requites a couple months ago and so far I'm not doing so well. Getting C's in my biology and chemistry and some classmates are starting to isolate me from there study groups. My fault for sharing my grades with people...

But at the end of the day we have to keep pushing forward through the tough times and think of the end goal!!!

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Specializes in Emergency Room, CEN, TCRN.

Not trying to be "that guy," but if you're struggling this much with the "intolerable" math pre-requisites for your LPN program, you might have a much greater problem when you start your actual nursing program.

If you drop classes every time you disagree with an instructor, how are you expecting to react when you disagree with one of your clinical instructors? One of your patients?

A lot of school, not just math, but especially nursing school, requires you to build on what they discuss outside of the classroom by doing the readings, the assignments, and engaging in purposeful active learning through outside sources like Khan Academy.

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Is there a reason why you can't register @ another CC and take it there??? Does your program of choice require this? If not, register at another CC and take it there. Sure you might have to do more legwork to get your transferred classes approved so you can register, but the legwork will be worth it if you can find a good instructor. Look up professors on rate my professors and see which ones people recommend. I've taken prereqs at seven different CCs, so I know it can be done. Why so many you might ask? Because I had to get them done, I wanted to get them done, and I wasn't going to let the fact that I couldn't get into classes at my regular CC because they were full, hold me back.

You've spent a lot of time thinking and speaking about how bad the instructors are. Now it's time to do something about it. No more excuses!

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2 hours ago, gere7404 said:

Not trying to be "that guy," but if you're struggling this much with the "intolerable" math pre-requisites for your LPN program, you might have a much greater problem when you start your actual nursing program.

If you drop classes every time you disagree with an instructor, how are you expecting to react when you disagree with one of your clinical instructors? One of your patients?

A lot of school, not just math, but especially nursing school, requires you to build on what they discuss outside of the classroom by doing the readings, the assignments, and engaging in purposeful active learning through outside sources like Khan Academy.

I guess you didn't read anything I wrote. So you would be perfectly fine if one of your professors made fun of someone who had disabilities out loud? It's one thing to agree and disagree like civil human beings, and its another to make fun of a student with disabilities. Or is a half-hour late on the first day and wants to leave an hour and some early. I drop because I have the integrity to not be an audience to certain behaviors that I have seen.

Secondly, I am an A student with 1 B ( college algebra math btw) and 1 C and have been in college for 2 1/2 years, and on the honorary system, so to say that I "can't handle it" was quite ignorant and full of conclusions, considering the rough lifestyle I had. I won't divulge though. But I should have been a statistic.

What I am having an issue with, is the lack of competency that these math professors display particularly at this school. I am discouraged by the fact that I realized I should have transferred out a long time ago.

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2 hours ago, Mergirlc said:

Is there a reason why you can't register @ another CC and take it there??? Does your program of choice require this? If not, register at another CC and take it there. Sure you might have to do more legwork to get your transferred classes approved so you can register, but the legwork will be worth it if you can find a good instructor. Look up professors on rate my professors and see which ones people recommend. I've taken prereqs at seven different CCs, so I know it can be done. Why so many you might ask? Because I had to get them done, I wanted to get them done, and I wasn't going to let the fact that I couldn't get into classes at my regular CC because they were full, hold me back.

You've spent a lot of time thinking and speaking about how bad the instructors are. Now it's time to do something about it. No more excuses!

I completely agree and thank you for the kind words here. It means a lot. I am just trying to make a decision in what I want to do, as far as transferring. I have met some amazing professors. It's the math department that really needs a haul and a clean slate in getting professors in this department that have a passion to teach. Those that do, leave very quickly the following semester to another college.

I am just trying to figure out whether or not I want to just outsource my math courses at another college and stay here for the duration of my prerequisites or transfer completely over. I may just outsource and test drive the classes before making the jump to fully transfer.

I'll be going to the other college on Friday to see what needs to be done so that I can get registered quickly for either spring or for the summer while finishing off a couple of my other classes at my home college.

How were you able to manage that type of schedule? I know we just do it, much like anything else, I am just impressed with other students that can hop from one college to the next to get everything done. It's something that I have always wanted to do, but I have been so limited on time, with kids and work and all. You are my educational goals.

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3 hours ago, scuffed said:

Hello Vixyn,

I'm kinda in the same situation its good to know that I'm not suffering alone. I started pre requites a couple months ago and so far I'm not doing so well. Getting C's in my biology and chemistry and some classmates are starting to isolate me from there study groups. My fault for sharing my grades with people...

But at the end of the day we have to keep pushing forward through the tough times and think of the end goal!!!

It's very concerning that this is happening to you. But don't let the circumstance define who you want to be and there is more than just one path to achieve a goal. OMG just listen to me. I am better at giving advice than abiding by it. I struggled with Anatomy too and it was my first year/ first semester in college. Idk how I managed, but pulled out a B+ and was curved up to an A- during a time when I had two immediate deaths in the family.

I remember I had this professor, who was one of the toughest I ever had and I hated the man. He used to call on me all the time and believe it or not, we'd get into some very critical and opinionated discussions right in front of the class, and he'd push me intellectually and then challenge my opinions. The reason why is he was actually intrigued by my philosophical views on certain things and I wasn't afraid to really stand up for my opinion, just as long as it was constructive/forth bringing/and respectful. He knew I could hold up an argument (the class was critical thinking advanced btw). He would also harshly criticize my papers. There were nights that I would go home and just sob...but I was so pissed, I wanted to show him what I was made of. So I buckled up and basically flipped him an intellectual bird lol and wanted to show him what I was made of.

In this class, we had a 15-page research paper to do within a matter of a few weeks. In one week I probably had about 8 hours of sleep working on perfecting this paper and this was alongside four other classes and full-time work. When the class was finally over, he gave his final goodbye lecture and called each and every one of us up to get out grades and shake hands. Mind you, he never told any of us what are grades were during the semester. So you can be imaging how much anxiety I felt. He purposely placed me last to call up. I was already in tears thinking that I didn't do so well.

He asked me if I wanted to know what my grade was. Of course, I said yes and was honest with him and told him i felt like i didn't do that well. And the next thing he said is " you need to believe in yourself more, and I saw that you had potential and you were one of my most intellectual students that I had a privilege teaching. I wanted to push you and see what you had and I am impressed" and that's when he showed me a paper with my name being the only one highlighted with a score of 299 out of 300. After I realized what he did, I appreciated him for it and he quickly became one of my favorites professors.

I guess what I am trying to say, is that do not let yourself become a victim, and again I should really emphasize taking up my own advice lol. That there are ways to accomplish your goals. You just have to put your mind to it and not let yourself become defeated by other people's opinions of you.

I hope this helped you at least a little bit.

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Have you gotten a tutor to help you learn the material? I am taking statistics online this semester, so it is basically self taught. I have found a lot of YouTube videos to help me along the way, and also Kahn Academy. TBH, I am not sure I would do as well with a traditional lecture class for statistics because I need to be able to rewind and rewatch lectures. As far as professors, unfortunately sometimes you have to stick it out even if you don’t like them. Do your best to make the grade. If they are awful write a review on rate my professor, and if they are truly terrible file a complaint. I’ve had a few that were pretty bad in college, too. One of my worst was an English professor that could be aggressive in class and even used the “C” word to describe a woman. I stuck it out and got an A. I wasn’t going to give him power over the situation and drop. That would only hurt me.

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3 hours ago, Amanda_H_W said:

Have you gotten a tutor to help you learn the material? I am taking statistics online this semester, so it is basically self taught. I have found a lot of YouTube videos to help me along the way, and also Kahn Academy. TBH, I am not sure I would do as well with a traditional lecture class for statistics because I need to be able to rewind and rewatch lectures. As far as professors, unfortunately sometimes you have to stick it out even if you don’t like them. Do your best to make the grade. If they are awful write a review on rate my professor, and if they are truly terrible file a complaint. I’ve had a few that were pretty bad in college, too. One of my worst was an English professor that could be aggressive in class and even used the “C” word to describe a woman. I stuck it out and got an A. I wasn’t going to give him power over the situation and drop. That would only hurt me.

I'm ok with the material itself. However, I feel that most students don't take ratemyprofessor seriously and being in a class with a professor that deragatory and abussive, while we sit there and take it for the grade really just makes professors like that feel as though they can get away with that type of behavoir in the future, which is not ok. Hopefully someone reported him. But do you think that "sticking it out for the A" only ensured that he could do that or something worse to another class? And get away with it?

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Specializes in Addictions, Psych.

If and when you do get accepted to a nursing program, you're going to have trouble. Most programs only allow one withdrawal or course retake for the entire program. If you have any disagreements with your faculty, it's going to be game over for you. If you browse the boards you'll see students asking for advice on dealing with crappy teachers or appealing failing grades because they didn't like their professors.

4+ Ws on your transcript will already work against you if you're applying to a competitive program. You can either crusade against unfair professors or get into a nursing program -- but you may not be able to do both.

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Specializes in Addictions, Psych.
16 hours ago, gere7404 said:

If you drop classes every time you disagree with an instructor, how are you expecting to react when you disagree with one of your clinical instructors? One of your patients?

A lot of school, not just math, but especially nursing school, requires you to build on what they discuss outside of the classroom by doing the readings, the assignments, and engaging in purposeful active learning through outside sources like Khan Academy.

this 100%. @gere7404 brings up some valid points.

Nursing instructors can be "harsh." Not cruel, but they exist to teach you to practice safely and intelligently. You'll be given exam questions on stuff not covered in class and expected to read your textbook and study independently. In clinical you'll be given potentially untenable situations and expected to make the best of them. It just is what it is. You swallow your pride and deal with it.

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30 minutes ago, WhaleTails said:

If and when you do get accepted to a nursing program, you're going to have trouble. Most programs only allow one withdrawal or course retake for the entire program. If you have any disagreements with your faculty, it's going to be game over for you. If you browse the boards you'll see students asking for advice on dealing with crappy teachers or appealing failing grades because they didn't like their professors.

4+ Ws on your transcript will already work against you if you're applying to a competitive program. You can either crusade against unfair professors or get into a nursing program -- but you may not be able to do both.

There is a huge difference between not liking a professor, and being verbally abused by one. I guess the census here is that its entirely ok for a student to be made fun of out-loud in front of the class due to their disabilities and just lay low and take a grade.....seriously? Again..difference between unfair professors ( which I have had) and professors that are blatantly too comfortable to treat their students like garbage.

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