Why do teachers tr to fail you???

[NStiger88]

I'm in the worst mood right now because my physiology teacher is trying to fail us!!! i did pretty well on our first two tests (Bs on both) so my average was a high B. then came the cardio test. ugh i did not do so well; i got a 72 (which is failing because a 75 is a C at myNS). We just took our fourth test and before the curve i got a 60!! after the test i heard a student tell him that the test was reallly hard (which it was!!) and he said "I know it was really hard, i made it like that on purpose"...this is ridiculous!! this same teacher failed 30 out of 100 students last semester from physiology! i studied sooo hard for that test and these questions come out of left field! i know my grades probably dont seem that bad but i need a B in phys because i plan on going back to school for my NP. i just dont know what to do because he is seriously trying to ruin some peoples lives. i have my GI test next followed by our final like a week later so i only have those two grades to bring my grade back up. any tips on what i should do about this pain in my as* professor??

[Music in My Heart]

im sorry but the truth is...in nursing school, teachers are paid to weed out the weak...

And upon what, pray tell, are you basing this opinion?

[Atheos]

But some questions will be rather stupid and never either show up on boards or be useful in real life...

Really???

Have you used Geometry in 'REAL LIFE?'

How about Calculus? Trigonometry?

IF you fail, YOU FAIL. Period...

I don't know how many times people in my classes have cried that the teacher was overly hard or unfair or asked questions they didn't know about or they didn't have time to study.

Meanwhile, those of us with 4.0s look at them and laugh...

No one can hold you down in life but yourself...

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

It's interesting to me how we've decided that if a substantial portion of a class fails - or even just gets C's - somehow it's a reflection on the teacher rather than an indication that a substantial portion of the class is either (a) not working hard enough, or (b) not academically capable in whatever the subject might be.

I wonder if it's always been thus... somehow, I think not.

What is your idea of substantial?? If even half the class fails, I don't think that is a reflection of the teacher. If 90% of the class fails, then yea, I am thinking their is a problem their that goes a little bit beyond students not trying hard enough. A C is considered average, so I don't think a student getting C's is the teachers fault. But if majority of the students are getting D's and below their is a problem IMO. This isn't the case though with the OP class though.

I mean I sort of look at it like this, if I had 10 kids and 1-2 of them went off to become addicts or criminals or something, I wouldn't be quick to blame myself. If 8-9 of my 10 kids went off to become addicts or criminals, I might need to do a little reflecting as a parent and see what I could have done differently or where I might have went wrong.

[missjennmb]

I'm really surprised at the polarizing nature of this thread. Most teachers are not out to get you. Every nursing school has those who really want to be there badly but can't make the grade. BUT, there really are some suck teachers out there. I have some that simply amaze me, and then I have had a teacher here who was VERY difficult, and many students hated him and left his class because it was too "tough" but whom I admire more than any other professor I've ever had.

When a teacher dumbs down the content in order to pass students, there's something wrong. School SHOULD be a challenge, and you SHOULD have to skip those friday and saturday night barhops to make the grade in nursing school, but you shouldn't have to wade through teachers who don't show up, dont grade one test before the next test, show up 3 hours late for huge tests, tell you often to just read the chapter b/c they dont have time to go over it (once in a blue moon I understand) and who, when you go to them begging for assistance, tell you (sarcastically) about how they would help you if you will do their work for them (for the online teaching job they took mid-school year).

Listen, I suck it up and deal with what I am dealt. I even learn something from the negatives (mostly that I just have to study harder and teach myself when I can't get what I need from my teacher). But that doesnt mean that bad teachers dont exist, just like bad students, bad nurses, bad people dont exist.

My ultimate goal is to become an instructor some day, and because of that I am always trying to give the teachers the benefit of the doubt but not everyone will put in unpaid time to help their students. TO the teacher who suggested they do as such, you are a gem, and I wish there were more teachers like you. I understand that a huge portion of students will not make it and I am honestly very much ok with that. I just wish that my teacher cared a bit more about teaching us (or perhaps she doesnt feel there is value in her teaching, I dont know).

[Music in My Heart]

What is your idea of substantial?? If even half the class fails, I don't think that is a reflection of the teacher. If 90% of the class fails, then yea, I am thinking their is a problem their that goes a little bit beyond students not trying hard enough. A C is considered average, so I don't think a student getting C's is the teachers fault. But if majority of the students are getting D's and below their is a problem IMO. This isn't the case though with the OP class though.

I mean I sort of look at it like this, if I had 10 kids and 1-2 of them went off to become addicts or criminals or something, I wouldn't be quick to blame myself. If 8-9 of my 10 kids went off to become addicts or criminals, I might need to do a little reflecting as a parent and see what I could have done differently or where I might have went wrong.

Even if 90% of the students in ONE class don't perform well I'd still not be ready to blame the instructor. If it persisted over several sessions then I'd have to conclude that there's a problem... Nothing says that there must be any A's or B's in a given class.

[Music in My Heart]

Have you used Geometry in 'REAL LIFE?' How about Calculus? Trigonometry?

Believe it or not... yes, yes, and yes...

[libnat]

Nothing says that there must be any A's or B's in a given class.

If a teacher told me they didn't give As (happens) I'd walk out of the class then and there. You need a high gpa to even get into nursing school and one doesn't have time for professors who will sabatoge that by being harder than all the others you could take.

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

Even if 90% of the students in ONE class don't perform well I'd still not be ready to blame the instructor. If it persisted over several sessions then I'd have to conclude that there's a problem... Nothing says that there must be any A's or B's in a given class.

Well I am not talking about 1 class, I am talking about if the average pass rate for a teacher is 10% and by passing I mean a C since most schools you need a C to pass.

I would never judge any teacher on the first class they teach. Just like I never really beat myself up on the first test in the class. You have to get a feel of what it will be like and it's a lot of trial and error to see what works for each person.

But if a teacher only has a 10% pass rate as their average, then yes I think they are teaching ineffectively and just like not everyone is cut out to be a nurse, not everyone is cut out to be a teacher.

[AOx1]

My students aren't given any of their grades. They work their tails off for them. If that means that one year, I would have all students pass with perfect A's I would be thrilled. If that means some semesters no one makes an A, I can live with that too. So far neither situation has occurred, but I don't predetermine a set number of any type of grades I will give out, and would have to say that those who do are few and far between.

Of course, as someone else mentioned on the thread, there are a few instructors that perform poorly and don't care, just as in any profession. And, as in most professions, we must be careful not to let the few "bad eggs" color our judgment of the remainder of honest and hardworking individuals in any category. Making broad general statements about the assumed intent of an entire profession does not help the situation. What does help is giving thanks to those who go above and beyond, working hard to succeed in any circumstance without making excuses, and asking for legislator support to train and adequately prepare and pay educators of ALL varieties. That said, there is NO ONE who will place a priority on your success that is higher than the one you place on it yourself. I have seen very, very few students fail who truly put their all into it, and in the majority of those cases where the student did their best but didn't pass, it was due to other major issues such as a death in the immediate family.

[~Mi Vida Loca~RN, ASN, RN]

I can honestly say, out of all the college classes I have taken, and their have been many. I have only come across one quack. She might have been a good teacher back in her day, I don't know. But she was absolutely terrible and we all wondered how she was still teaching. I got a b in her class, but I literally sat in class in disbelief. That is the ONLY teacher I can honestly say had no business teaching.

[NStiger88]

Speaking from personal experience, many professors analyze exams. We look at each test item to determine (using a statistical program) whether the question was a "good" item. In order to do this, you look at how many people missed the question, how many of the top scorers selected the correct answer, how many of the lowest scorers selected the correct answer, etc.

If an item was poorly written, or was worded in a confusing manner, we throw it out.

You mention that 30% of one class failed; even if these statistics are entirely accurate, this means that 70% did not fail. This tells me that the class can be passed, and by the majority of the students. These students are able to find the information needed to answer the questions that are out of "left field" from somewhere. It might help if you asked one of the students who is performing well to do a "rundown" with you, and discuss how they arrived at their answers, and also to meet with your professor to discuss your thought process and why you chose the answers you chose; this may help you better pinpoint where your studies are going wrong and to succeed on future exams.

In an earlier thread https://allnurses.com/general-nursing-student/does-anyone-else-366809.html#post3409114 you mentioned you were behind in your readings, and several of those who posted to your thread gave good advice on how to get more help in physiology. Did you follow the advice suggested??

no where in my thread did i say anything about being behind in readings so i have no idea where that is coming from??? also that was the second week of school and i made a B on that test. Thankyou though.

[NStiger88]

first of all, i never said this was every teacher. I said it was my one teacher. my anatomy professor is the most amazing person who is so helpful and he obviously still fails people, but he does it because he has to because i obviously understand that not everyone will pass. this man is VERY different from my phys teacher and im not the only one who thinks this.

there was information on the test that we had no idea what it was or we were not instructed to learn. one of my close friends already has a degree in biology and is in the same boat as me. it is not just me who is complaining about this teacher, it is the ENTIRE class and many classes before. even the students with the 4.0s complain about this person.

i read my entire text book, have gone to every single tutoring session (which costs money and the teacher doesn't even do it himself) and have study sessions with a group of about 7. and i have a 3.8 gpa so this is not a question about me studying hard enough. I have enough discipline to keep a high gpa then i have enough discipline to study my as* off every single day.

he does not provide us with any extra help what so ever. if you try and talk to him he will just laugh it off and say sorry; there is no extra help or tips on how to study better or anything. he leaves the study sessions to a grad student (who is paid alot) and she is the only one who is helpful. she will say things like "he didn't tell you this but you will have to know this for the test" but she doesnt have the test so she doesnt exactly know what is on it. thats just an example that even she knows that he puts things on the test that he didnt teach us. so to 'LiveToLearn' i am one of the students who goes to meet with the teacher even if im not the ones that are failing. i wish i had you as my physiology teacher because you sound like a great instructor. I wish mine was more like you.

i have also personally heard him say "yea i know i made that test really hard, i did it on purpose"

i dont think this is encouraging students at all

bottom line is that i needed to vent about my professor because i have had a very hard week with this class.

thanks to everyone who gave encouraging advice.