Campus Journal Daily Devotional for College Age and High School people

WEDNESDAY
JANUARY 23

A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue.

Bad Prof, No Coffee Have you seen the bumper sticker that says, “Bad Cop. No Donut.”? Well, maybe it’s time for a book cover that says, “Bad Prof. No Coffee.” That might get the attention of some really ineffective professors.

Unfortunately, they are out there. I know because I hear kids talk. And I remember. For some reason, it’s hard to shake the recollection of having a lousy instructor. Like the one I had. He was so far up in years that all he could muster the energy to do was sit at his desk and read his notes to us—class after boring class. We could have moved the seats to the side and had a pickup-football game in the room, and he wouldn’t have noticed.

I’ve also heard about professors who do the following:

Threaten select students on the first day with failing if they miss one class.
Fail to inform students they were having a final exam until after some of the students had left to go home for the end of the term.
Do nothing more than go through the textbook in class and point out what sections to read and know.

So what do you do when you get a lemon of a prof? Here are some suggestions:

1. Continue to be diligent and aggressive with your studies. Having a crummy professor does not cancel your responsibility to live by Colossians 3:23.

2. Make every attempt to hold off on the behind-the-back criticism. A griper is not a good witness for our Lord. Besides, sometimes it’s better to endure even an unfair situation than to cause trouble about it (1 Corinthians 6:1-6).

3. Get the help you need to do well in the course anyway. Sometimes it is hard to succeed when you have a tough subject that a prof does not know how to explain. You may need a tutor.

4. Go to the administration and explain the problem. Take specific observations and suggestions with you. Be professional in your approach.

5. Pray for the prof to improve and for you to maintain a good attitude.

It’s no fun to pay the big bucks you’re paying and get a cut-rate instructor. But when it happens, use it as a test case for your own spiritual maturity and personal growth. You may learn a lot more than you ever thought possible. —DB

REFLECTION

Do I have an instructor who is a dud? Could it possibly be my fault and not his?
Is it my responsibility to the school to report a bad instructor, or should I just keep quiet and mind my own business? What Scripture can help me with this question?
What thing do I never want to do because I saw it in a less-than-effective professor?

Make the best of a bad teacher.