Ok, it's time to rant about the school system some more. Not only because I'm subjecting myself to the system, but because I need a slight break from that subjugation. Is that really what I want to say? I may get back to it. Anyway, my studying is constantly being interrupted by my thoughts on this whole process I'm experiencing.

First of all, with a few exceptions, I've not seen the professionalism I expected. Of course, this is a public school, and one shouldn't expect too much deviation from the public school system norm, but haven't they been at this shit a while?!?!. There is dedication on the part of some of the professors, but in the case of the Math professor, it's misdirected. I've already talked about the English and Chemistry professors. It seems soon we will be able to call the English professor 'Dr.' She is working on her doctoral exams now. This is the second time I've had to deal with a professor working on a doctorate, the first was an algebra instructor at a community college, one of the reasons I started algebra here....

So, I'm rambling. Focus, focus..... Whenever I study physiology, I can't help but think about how backwards things seem to be. For chemistry, physiology and history the professors have 'TA's, or teaching assistants. These are graduate students working on their own master or doctorate degrees, required to assist tenured professors in their duties of instructing the underclass masses. For physiology, the lecture is 3 credits, lab is 1. Same for chemistry. Labs are taught by the TAs. For the lab exam, part of our overall grade for the course, we had a 'practical'. Now, for a practical (almost spelled it 'practical', I'm always getting that wrong) you would assume you are going to have to demonstrate a 'practical' skill. You know, like when you get your certificate for CPR, you have to demonstrate your skills on a dummy. For this 'practical', we were cycled around the lab to different 'stations'. These stations consisted of pictures of tissue samples, microscopic pictures, of which we had to identify portions of, or the whole picture plus a function. There was one station out of 25 that required us to demonstrate our skills using a microscope, the rest were pictures or questions simply written on a piece of paper. To be able to do well on something like this, you pretty much had to memorize all the material, including pictures of tissue samples and all the various functions. I failed miserably.

Am I bitter about it? Fuckin A!!!

Just kidding. There are some points to all this though. First, the TAs produce the practical test, and the written test (50 multiple choice) for the lecture portion of the course, as well as grade everything. They are required not only to teach the labs, but also attend all the lectures given by the professors. The lecture portion is worth 3 credits, the lab 1, for a total of 4 credits for the course. If I fail the lab, I have to take it over, but I wouldn't have to redo the lecture if I pass that portion. So, I would get the 3 credits for the lecture, but still have to sit through 3 hours of lab once a week. My point is, the lab is worth 1 credit, so why are we required to do 3 credits worth of work in the lab, while the lecture is worth (supposedly) 3 credits, but with the notes and presentations posted on the Internet, and a multiple choice test for the lecture portion, I could skip all the lectures and still ace that portion with a little bit of studying.

Something is definitely amiss. I think the problem derives from the fact that these professors are lazy. The only thing they do is lecture. I'd be willing to bet the presentations were put together long ago by TAs, and only minor adjustments are needed by the professors from year to year. I know for a fact the presentations for history are done by the TAs, because the professor can't even work the equipment when she comes in to lecture! So, every semester, with presentations and notes reviewed, the professors are ready for their 'gruelling' schedule. Get this, there are TWO professors for physiology. The first lectures on basic histology of the integumentary system, and the introduction of course, was done by one professor. We have another to lecture on the skeletal system. Are they really that fucking busy that they can't lecture the whole course?! For chemistry, there are different professors, but we will have the same one all year. Which is fine by me, Dr. Pollard has got to be one of the best instructors I've ever experienced, and... but I was talking about physiology...

So, the professors lecture, and the TAs do the rest of the work. Yet what we are supposed to 'learn' from the professors is worth 3 credits, while the lab work is only worth 1. Plus, the TAs are required to do it with minimal pay! Next week we even have a class canceled with the TA so they can grade the tests we have to take Monday. Isn't that some shit?! I know for a fact the professor lectures for only 3 courses this semester. That's 9 hours a week at the most!! What the fuck is she doing the rest of the time?! To be fair, she is old, and I'm sure whatever she does strains her. I'm sure her salary doesn't reflect that though. It's all fuckin backwards as far as I can tell, you make the big bucks, you do the bulk of the work for it. That's the way it should be anyway.

I'm sure my English professor would be cringing if she were to read this shit. There is no point, and if there are arguments they are hardly discernible from the extraneous shit that filters through my fingers from the gray matter that serves to keep this so called intellect alive. And then there's the summary, which usually consists of nothing more than a '....' ....