a couple days ago i posted a thread about my instructor who talks way too much during lecture, well since then its gotten worst ! :angryfire
its to the point where she is using two classes to go over information for one class. she can't even go over a 25 page powerpoint in 3 hours ( which is one class), instead she uses two class days a total of 6 hours to go over one freakin powerpoint ! yesterday, she was suppose to finish up the lecture from last class which took the entire class time so she didn't even have enough time to go over the new material that we will be tested on monday. all can she can say is sorry, things happen.... the only thing thats happening is that she runs her mouth way too much.
so she told us to read the powerpoint and ask her if we have any questions later.
we pay all this money to go to nursing school and she's not even giving us our monies worth ! :angryfire
i've never been so furious in my life. next time i see her i must tell her how cheated i feel for her not to go over pertinent information d/t her running her big fat mouth !
I had an instructor that would wander off into herbal medicine talks and forget the Meds lecture. Same one who told us all mental problems came from the body being to acidic from fried foods. In Nursing School remember, you teach yourself. Many times all the instructor does is hand you a book. They might lecture, they might do nothing, in the end, you only learn what you teach yourself.
May not be true everywere, but if you only count on you, you know what to expect.
We had one instructor who did nothing but read the chapter outloud to us. No lecture, no questions allowed. The school DON told us to stop being babys and expecting to have it spoon fed to us.
After that point I disregarded anything an instructor said, and when from a B to an A. No more lecture notes, as they were often wrong on tests. I just read the book.
You can try an discuss it with the dean of the school. There is always the end of the semester evaluations. I know that those sometimes don't seem to help, but it gives you an opportunity to provide constructive critism. These evaluations become part of their permanent file and are used in their annual employee evaluations as well.
One time I was preparing a lecture on child development. The lecture was only going to be an hour and I had about 30 slides. My husband, who is a corporate trainer and lectures for a living, was reviewing it and at the end he smiled and said, "Honey, when I give an 8 hour lecture, I have 30 slides and barely get through them in 8 hours!" I laughed, and cut it down to 8 slides! Sounds like she is sharing "nice to know information", but not necessarily the "need to know information"!
I LOVE this answer! HAAAAAAAAAAA! This whole concept makes me happy to even read! ROTFL! :lol 2:1000-yr Turtle
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Feb 17, 2009, 11:16 PM
So, study the subject before the lecture and keep her on track during the lecture by asking pertinent questions to bring her back to the subject at hand--OR--bring some knitting to do while she is lecturing.
how am i supposed to ask pertinent questions on a powerpoint that i receive five minutes before the class is over ?
also, she is rambling so much that i can't even get to ask a question. . i'm used to being a self learner, i have not made it this far through nursing school with getting hand outs from instructors. i read, study, eat, breath and sleep nursing school. however, she is there to instruct us and give us guidance, however she can't do that because she's constanty getting off topic and digressing. i know what my responsiblities are as a student and i live up to them, all i need for her to do is do the job that she is getting paid to do. no one expects her to read every single bullet ! thats what hold us up also... all i need for her to do is summarize the powerpoint, and allow us to ask questions about each powerpoint. if thats the case instructors should just give us powerpoints before the exam and then test us on it.... but no they wouldn't do that would they ? they told us that they will not give out powerpoints before classes to give us an excuse not to come... so whats the point of coming to class if you aren't even going to go over the objectives and powerpoints ?
omg. i don't know you but reading your posts is like reading from my own private journal! you see the situation the exact same way i would. i believe in fair's fair, accountability, personal responsibility, justice and the fact that it is ludicrous to assume that teachers should be given the right to "fail" you if you offend their delicate egos. what bs! i so feel you. but it's like so many things out there. we don't "have" to like it or agree with it. no one cares if we approve. it's only us who care about the fact that things we hold important (school and grades, etc...) are being threatened in what seems an arbitrary way and that we may be powerless to "right" the imbalance that appears before us.
in situations like this, i am almost gravitationally pulled / compelled / involuntarily verbal about letting people know how i feel, much to my detriment. i am currently trying to teach myself to just bite my tongue. let me tell you...i've had lot's of tongue biting going on in these last few years. god help me. i wish you the best of luck in this situation because i can completely identify...on such a very real, personal level, with what you are going through. it's exhasperating!
I as well has a similar situation this January/February of nursing school (mental health class). What I did was went up to the teacher after class and told her I was feeling confused about the next test because we still has so many power points to cover and it did not seem like we had enough lectures left, so I was asking if the information she hadn't yet got to would be on the test. She of course said yes- which I knew- but then I slipped into the conversation how I felt she discussed more of situations that she has been through while being a nurse and not focusing on the topic. She admitted that was a bit of a talker and got off on tangents and was going to try and work on that. Its not 100% better but I have seen an improvement. If for someone she gets back into that slump, I will then tell someone above her, but at least I know that I tried to fix the situation head on first- rather than swinging passed it.
Hope the situaiton gets better though, b/c I completely understand how frustrating it can be. Good luck & don't let it get you down = )
Please do me a favor and tactfully tell the instructor it is her "big fat mouth" that is the issue. If nothing happens/changes with the next class go to the coordinator, and right up the chain of command. Don't skip a step in the chain of command, because you will be asked who you spoke to and the outcome of the conversation. Also, please keep a written journal of the people, dates, times, conversation, and outcome of the conversation. I can attest to the fact that if it is written down, and it comes to a dispute as to whether the conversation occured on the day in question or the out come of the conversation, black and white goes a long way. I also had a problem with someone and because I had written down what had occured, when, and outcomes when it came time to present my case to a higher authority it held more weight when I whipped out my little black book with my notes in it!!
As you can see from all the posts this is not a unique problem. I too have my horror stories. What I want to share tho, is something that helped me cope.
During one particularly crazy semester, our study group decided not to spend our precious energy being upset--I know, way easier said than done--but after venting, doing what we could within administration, we worked hard to help each other learn the material, we did practice tests (these were invaluable in learning application of material) and shared other sources that helped explain the material. In the end that is what nursing is all about, learning, sharing and application.
We also looked at ways we could learn from the instructor. We had one that only read her powerpoints and whenever a question arose she would let another student answer, TALK ABOUT CONFUSING! But she had a real gift at communication and taught us to be a team. She could diffuse tension with words. She could focus assessment information with just a simple question. We learned that skill from her, we learned the physiology on our own. The flip was true of another professor, she fought with us all and treated us horribly, but she could make complex physiology into something simple with everyday illustrations. We learned science from her and how NOT to treat others.
It might seem simplistic, but in the end it helped us keep focused on what we were really trying to accomplish and learn. In a few weeks that person will not be part of your routine anymore. Cling to the things that will be, the material and how to use it. Your time and energy are too precious to spend vainly. It helped us immensely. Hope it will you.
. i'm used to being a self learner, i have not made it this far through nursing school with getting hand outs from instructors. i read, study, eat, breath and sleep nursing school. however, she is there to instruct us and give us guidance, however she can't do that because she's constanty getting off topic and digressing. i know what my responsiblities are as a student and i live up to them, all i need for her to do is do the job that she is getting paid to do. no one expects her to read every single bullet ! thats what hold us up also... all i need for her to do is summarize the powerpoint, and allow us to ask questions about each powerpoint. if thats the case instructors should just give us powerpoints before the exam and then test us on it.... but no they wouldn't do that would they ? they told us that they will not give out powerpoints before classes to give us an excuse not to come... so whats the point of coming to class if you aren't even going to go over the objectives and powerpoints ? 
Torchwood
25 Posts
I had an instructor that would wander off into herbal medicine talks and forget the Meds lecture. Same one who told us all mental problems came from the body being to acidic from fried foods. In Nursing School remember, you teach yourself. Many times all the instructor does is hand you a book. They might lecture, they might do nothing, in the end, you only learn what you teach yourself.
May not be true everywere, but if you only count on you, you know what to expect.
We had one instructor who did nothing but read the chapter outloud to us. No lecture, no questions allowed. The school DON told us to stop being babys and expecting to have it spoon fed to us.
After that point I disregarded anything an instructor said, and when from a B to an A. No more lecture notes, as they were often wrong on tests. I just read the book.