The Three Categories of College Professors

I have attended numerous colleges throughout my life and have deemed that there are three types of college educators; positive, negative, and neutral. I want to let you in on a few aspects you can look for when deciding what category your professor falls into. You may find it easier to communicate with, and learn from, your college professors if you can decide which category to place them in.

Positive teachers are by far the most agreeable teachers. They are interested in the subject or subjects they teach and in their students. Positive teachers will do whatever is needed to learn all of their student's names. They will allow for questions and discussions in class and do not seem to mind if a student is in disagreement with them because they believe in their students and want to know their thoughts. They will also show their interests outside of class by being available for conferences; encouraging students to meet with them if they need help. Their students tend to feel comfortable in their presence. A good example of a positive teacher is my sophomore year English teacher, Mrs. Anderson. She always allowed time during the class hour for some free discussion and we were always given time for free writing. She believed in the use of our creativity and was always there to assist us when we had problems with grammar, spelling, or thought processing. She would praise what we would write and never made her students feel insubordinate. Unfortunately, teachers like Mrs. Anderson are relatively small in number.

Negative teachers are the least agreeable and are the kind that every student dreads. They are negative mentors for their students. Not only do they not learn the students' names, but they seem almost hostile both in class and out of class. In class, the negative teachers, like the neutral teachers, primarily lecture; they may want the students to learn, but unlike the neutral and positive teachers, they allow virtually no questions or discussions. And they will penalize a student for disagreeing with them as they believe that what they teach is what the student should know, period. They rarely offer students the ability to have conferences and are almost never in their offices. An excellent example of a negative teacher is Mr. Binder, my junior year science teacher. His classes were twice as boring as any class of a neutral teacher, and he was often intimidating in class. One day, for example, when one student asked him to repeat his explanation of a theory he was teaching, he became quite angry and refused to repeat what he had just lectured on. He stated "If you do not understand than look it up on your own time as I will not repeat myself"! Negative teachers are too often inflexible; in fact, they seem more like a machine than a human being. Fortunately, this group is in the minority.

Neutral teachers are only moderately agreeable. In general, the neutral teachers just do not seem interested in neither their subjects nor their students. These teachers usually do not learn all of their student's names, though they may learn a few. Their classes tend to be more boring than the positive teachers' classes because they allow less time for discussion. However, like the positive teacher, the neutral teacher may allow for questions and some discussion, but they just do not seem to care if the students are even interested enough to want to discuss the subject. Although the neutral teachers are available for conferences, they do not encourage students to come see them for help; as a result, most students feel slightly uncomfortable in the presence of neutral teachers, especially during a conference. Professor Binder, my science professor, was a typical type for a neutral teacher. He would come into class, opens his notes, read his lecture, allow a short period of time for questions and some discussion, and then leave the room. When I had a problem understanding one of the concepts we had discussed in class one day, I went to his office for a conference. He was polite enough but did not make any special effort to see that I understood the concept during the conference. He more or less repeated what he had said in class. He told me that I shouldn't worry, as long as I showed up for class and turned in my homework, I would pass. Very few students would go to see him for a conference because they felt he was simply not interested. From what I have gathered in my conversations with other students, the neutral teachers make up the largest category. They feel that neutral teachers are only there for a paycheck.

Before I started college, I was told not to expect my professors to care much about me or my work and that I would be lucky if any of them even knew my name! But I soon learned that these generalizations were too broad. Not all college teachers are the same, in fact, I have found that most of the professors in colleges fall into the three described categories: the positive teachers, the neutral teachers, and the negative teachers.

The type of teacher a student gets can directly affect how much they learn. Obviously, students will learn more from a positive teacher; unfortunately, as we have seen, this type is a minority. Since the mission of the colleges or universities is to educate, administrators should persist that the neutral and negative teachers improve their teaching methods and attitudes; otherwise, they should consider dismissing them.

We, as students, pay a lot of money to attend these facilities and we expect a decent learning experience in return. So, take a few minutes and see what type of teachers your professors are. Categorizing them may help you to communicate better and succeed in the class.