My first thing I like is that Benjamin Zander is a conductor, so we sort of speak the same language. I haven't watched the video yet, from TED, because here in Haiti, the internet is so slow, I can catch 2-3 words or syllables, and then it begins spinning. I made it through all the piano things to age 11 and then he went back, but now, it's too hard to understand, so I'll watch it in America this weekend, when I get back home to say goodbye to our son and daughter in law, Matt and Sarah, who are headed back to Africa.
I could tell it's good, as it had great examples in there about working outside the box. The 2 salesmen are great examples of looking at a glass empty and half full! It depends on my attitude about whatever the situation is.
Also, he used the the square of dots with the instructions, but didn't state that you could go outside of square. I knew that puzzle, so I knew the solution.
Anyway, there were good points. I had a bad memory flash when reading chapter 3, about giving out A's. I had a professor in college who taught music theory (6 quarters), music history (2 quarters), contemporary music (1 quarter), and private clarinet (9 of the required 12 quarters). In other words, I had him every quarter my Freshman, Sophomore and Junior years, 2 classes per quarter. One in a class and one private lessons.
Although I had to work hard, I made A's in my private lessons, as I studied, practiced and worked hard. I worked just as hard for the classes under him, too. But, I almost always made a C. He did the bell curve. He gave out 1 A, 1 or 2 B's, 1 or 2 D's, 1 F. Everything else is a C. I was in a class with 3 or 4 people who were the valedictorians in their school. What ever his highest score for the quarter was, I was usually 1 or 2 points below it, and no matter what I did, I would make a C. Once, I tied with the second and third person, but because I had made the 4th person before, he broke the tie by using past times. I always made a C for his classes. It was very discouraging. I knew I was as good as the others with high grades, and sometimes, there were people that were 3 or 4 points below me, but I made the same C they made! I understood the frustrations of chapter 3. He was putting us against one another. We didn't fall for it. If he wanted us to hate each other for getting "our" grade, we didn't. We lost all respect for him. In fact, at one point, he was GIVING the A to a student who was missing class, sleeping around, but was a scholarship student like me and they didn't want her to fall down, so they did all they could. They sent me in the bedrooms to get her (I was a very dumb 18 year old who only knew to respect teachers and do what they say). They gave her the A's.
We learned to give no respect to the man. No respect to any of the teachers who were doing this. We didn't try very hard for them, although we worked like crazy for teachers who were teaching us. Teachers who were really wanting us to learn, taught us. The teacher who Gave the grades out the way he did, got no respect from any of us.
It was a terrible thing to learn in college. I have seen that is actually in any school. Teachers can be wonderful and some can be horrible. Too bad. They do NOT earn my respect. The ones who teach, they will have my respect in all ways.
I don't know why this has to happen. Is is just human nature? Will I learn more about this with the rest of the book? I don't know. But as I said, that one really hit a sore spot that still hurts to this day. I hate thinking that a teacher will go that low. I don't even like to think they are, or were, a part of the same profession I am in. And that wasn't even getting into his personal life. I just won't go there. All I will say about that is I am grateful, for every young girl going to school today, that there are laws to protect them from teachers who do NOT earn the respect to be called teacher.
Ah, yes, the bell curve, Karen. So many variations of how to use the curve to benefit the student, yet some use it otherwise. Although the bell curve can actually help students by taking the top score in the class and adding whatever number of points to it to make a 100, then adding those same points to each student’s score, I can see how in your case, it actually discouraged students. Another way I have seen the bell curve used was to throw out a question from the quiz/test/exam that was missed by most students and adjust grades accordingly. Unfortunately, your professor left a bad taste for the bell curve and used it to choose a grade where he felt students fell on the curve. So subjective! I can see where many would feel unfaired against and not want to work to their fullest potential. Imagine if your instructor approached grades as described in The Art of Possibility, how your story would be similar to the ones told in this book rather than a memory of bitterness.
ReplyDeleteThank you for that. I had never heard of the bell curve before that professor and when I have heard the phrase since then, I froze. Now that I read your comment, I see that the Bell Curve can have good connotations to it. Thank you for teaching me the good of the bell curve.
ReplyDeleteYou know, always having someone flunk your course, seems horrible. I've always felt that if someone doesn't pass my class, unless they wanted to fail, there would be no good reason to flunk, as I feel like I teach people something and teach it good enough to pass. If they don't pass it, then I've not done my job. Imagine WANTING someone to fail your class. Just 1. That is sad.
That is a sad story, Karen! It is too bad that the awful teacher who used grades as a carrot/stick motivator did not understand his students. Music students KNOW where they stand in their crowd regarding performance better than their teachers and don't need a prof trying to play god. Why did that teacher feel he needed to curve your small group to itself instead of to the assigned learning goals - because he probably never really saw your talents. Many teachers are dumb to the gift of their students because their awareness is strangled by their own senses of comparisons and career measurement. They cultivate a sense of failure, regret, or lack of recognition by blaming something or someone else for their not realizing their dreams. That guy really needed a Zander-boss around to give him what he needed. Then he may have been able to give it to the students who needed him.
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