Feeling discouraged

[guest1129128]

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.

[RNNPICU, BSN, RN]

OP:

The only person you hurt was yourself when you dropped the class because of the way a professor inappropriately acted toward one student. In nursing school I have had professors say inappropriate things toward me and others. I didn't drop the class, rather focused on finishing. My not dropping the class did not endorse the professor. Math is essential to nursing. Had you reid to find a tutor to help you with the material? There are so many on-line resources now that are fantastic and you can watch the videos multiple times. For some of my advanced statistic courses these have been a lifesaver. Unfortunately dropping the course only reflects poorly on you, in the case of the professor. Try and take your math classes on line, or test out of them and do independent study, check woth your school prior to this and to the nursing school you want to apply to to ensure the class will transfer.

[Thanksforthedonuts, BSN, RN]

I’m not one to sugar coat things, here are a few of my observations:

- I can tell through your writing that you are pretty well educated

- you have ineffective/poor coping skills
-you always have to be right

- you are a victim of every injustice you observe
- unable to deal to adversity

- you have an idealist mentality

My honest advice: Skip nursing, do something else. You are the type of person who will red flag every person on your care team or every patient you have due to some perceivable injustice. Being teachable and being able to teach do not appear to be a skill that you have. I would have recommended something like social work for you but your attitude and mentality will make you a difficult person to work with.

There are a significant amount of withdrawals on your transcript and you seem unable to find ways to deal with your problems. Nurses are typically problem solvers and generally have a well developed insight for situations, both are underdeveloped for you.

Many on this forum had to deal with significant life circumstances to get through nursing school and the first few years of nursing. You are not alone, however you cause yourself to be when you play victim.

And of course, I tell you these things knowing you will not HEAR any of it and lash back on how you were wronged. But alas, carry on.

My advice: Don’t do nursing. It will be an uphill battle for you and you’ll hate it the entire time.

[Neo Soldier, BSN, RN]

Have you tried any of the math workshops? They are free and I believe they have them in the Math/science lab. They have a schedule and you can find what course and what time the workshop is offered. There's also the option of going to a different college.

[DMnurse]

i hope you reported the teacher. Edit nvm , saw that you did

[Professor X, MSN, RN]

On 10/23/2019 at 10:47 AM, guest1129128 said:

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.

I need you to think a moment about what type of person goes into teaching math (or chemistry) for a living. Left-brain type people. I have yet to meet a professional math instructor who is by nature warm, fuzzy, empathetic, and works with a high emotional IQ. I suppose there are some out there but I just haven't met them in the college setting. They are generally just not wired that way. I am not suggesting that "making fun of a student" is okay. But possibly they are not capable of being empathetic to that student. It happens. Those teachers are not nurses or counselors, they are math teachers because they are comfortable with numbers, not people.

If inappropriate comments were made by the teacher, they should be reported to the math department chair or department dean who can deal with making and enforcing change.

Shopping around for a math teacher who makes you feel good is an exercise in futility.

[Nurse SMS, MSN, RN]

On 10/23/2019 at 12:47 PM, guest1129128 said:

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.

Let me put this in a story format:

A packed bus is on the way to its destination.

The bus driver yells at a handicapped kid in the front. Maybe even mocks the kid.

Some other kid in the back dramatically jumps off the bus while it was still moving after seeing this because why would he/she stay on a bus where the driver mocks someone?

Now the one that jumped is injured, far from their goal and with a much longer way to travel to get there, traveling more and more slowly due to their injuries.... and telling themselves "I had no choice but to abandon that bus because the bus driver was mean!"

Meanwhile, the bus kept on going, with the driver, with the handicapped kid, with everyone who did NOT jump.... and the jumper is alone on the highway, with no leverage with the bus company (they already got his money) and even less likelihood to make it to their destination.

And this person has jumped off of buses four times now and still blames the driver for not getting them there. Say what?

You aren't being honest with yourself. If this is about some misguided sense of social justice, you are definitely going about it with a foolishly underdeveloped strategy that punishes you for their crimes.

If it isn't that, then its you, quitting, because of reasons only you could know and trying somehow to spin it into righteousness that is so pristine that anyone who points out the flaws in your logic gets painted with the same brush you used on your instructors.

Either way, it doesn't result in you becoming a nurse.

[Leader25, ASN, BSN, RN]

On 10/23/2019 at 1:47 PM, guest1129128 said:

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?

Stop ,sounds like two are one and the same.Good Luck.