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Show Monday January 27, 1986 Page 4 The Thunderbird Students dont learn what is being taught Educational indifference is running rampant at SUSC. not learning what the teachers are trying to teach or are the teachers not teaching what the students are trying to learn? Is the problem in the school or in the students or both? The Thunderbird feels both are at fault. Students are not taught to learn. Students are taught to get good grades, do well on tests, go to class, take notes, and stay out of trouble. But are you really learning anything? In a recent strip of the cartoon Dooneshury by Garry Trudeau, a professor is addressing his class from the podium while the students are taking notes. While the professor is speaking, a student interrupts him with a thinking response. Arc-student-s Professor: 1...I dont believe it. Student: Believe what, man? Professor: A response! I finally got a thinking response from one of you! And I thought you were all stenographers! I have a student! A student lives! Few students try to learn and few teachers try to teach. Students would find it hard not to learn if the teacher actually got the point across. Students learn about things they are interested in. Why dont teachers make their subjects more interesting? Professors gear their classes toward majors in that field, but s in the class want, so they many dont know what resort to the read the text approach. The text is usually so condescending that it offends you or so simplified that it bores you or so specialized that it loses you. Many textbooks unnecessarily repetitive, and generally too expensive, yet professors assign two to four books per class. One teacher tried for student input and found what seemed to be very little. This professor uses the Socratie method. a question and lets the students work the solution out by themselves. This should work. Certain students, however, start non-major- s to dominate the arguments to the point that the other students decide to let those students conduct the argumeivs themselves. Student apathy may nlay a factor, but so may teacher apathy. A professor actually has to perform before an audience for each class. After a few' yeais, he has to learn how to make the class interesting or decide to tench the same thing over and over. The professor is bored with the material and this attitude gets passed on to his students. The Thunderbird believes that to make learning teachable, a student must have an interest in what he is being taught and a professor must have a personal interest that the material be not absorbed bur used. v! fl5 p 'il Cbunderbird 'I MW' ' ' 'I N'l I. ' 'I The TfiunJcrn J is puhlidied each Mondav of rhe academic vear hv nnJ for the student hiH.lv ol Southern Utah State College and is not affiliated in unv manner whatsoever with the College's department of communication. The views and opinions expressed in The Thiuidi'ihiu are the opinions of the publications individual writers and do not relied the views and opinions of the institution, faculty, staff or student neecs-uril- v hodv m general. The unsigned editorial directly above is the opinion of The Thioidethird as a single entity. Letters to the editor must be typed and include the will he name, student number (if from a student) and phone number. Onlv the name printed. Names will not be withheld under any niuimst.iiues and the editor reserves hv submitted be Letters libel. and miw to preclude 'he right to edit letters tor length noon Friday lor inclusion m the following week's edition. West South, Cedar C 77c8. (SOI) 200 TO THE EDITOR: Who running Libya? The seem to agree. The Associated Press and United Press International both say Moammar Khadafy is Libyas leader, but other news agencies dont think so. To illustrate the confusion, Ive compiled the following list from mv reading: Moammar Khadafy AP and press is cant Muammar Kaddafi Muammar Qadhafi Muammar Gaddafi Senior Staff Writers Kris Johnson Kon Kontogiannis Production Manager Keih Fov Advertising Designer Gavin McNeil Advertising Representative Kellie Jensen Faculty Adviser Larry Baker The Thuruidbiuf editorial and advertising oftwes Cedar City, DT Mail at SUSC Box L'T isnt UPI VOLUME 80, NUMBER 15 Editor Tvler JciiMn Copy Editor Rehea.a Southern Photo Editor Derek Miller Sports Editor Ren Cox Entertainment Editor Chad McBride Assistant to the Editors Annette Ciroonv Khadafy it, Muammar Newsweek U.S. News Time. New York Times If that isnt confusing enough, a spelled in English January 9th Wall Street Journal article agreed with U.S. News saying Muammar Qadhafi ruled Libya, but another article on the same page said Muammar Gadhafi ruled Libya. Because of this disagreement, I have two concerns. First, maybe there are seven different people who think they are running Libya; and second, maybe the reporters for these respected news agencies are just too careless to find out how one man spells his name. If my first concern is justified, Libya is in serious trouble. If my second concern is justified, we are all in serious trouble because if we cant trust the press to be accurate, how can we expect the press to be fair or honest? Rick Reid EDITORS NOTE: Since Khadafy is an Arabic name and does not follow the Romanized alphabet in use in the English language, writers (and editors) use an English spelling that approximates the way a name sounds in Arabic. There is no universal style guide in use by all of the media. The Thunderbird follows Associated Press style. It is important that each publication be consistent in its spelling, as, according to Reid, the Wall Street Journal is not. Theres not much to do around here TO THE EDITOR: What is there to do in this small town? I'm sick of movies, bowling, rollerskating and watching television and after doing all of these, there is nothing else to do. I end d up going to dances, but no one school-sponsore- dares ask anyone else to dance because they seem to fear each other. When I start doing strange things to have some fun, I get told that Im weird, when in truth Im onlv bored. What is wrong with this town and what is wrong with the people m it? Dont th ey believe in creative fun or does everything have to be done for them? Also why do they think people are strange that try to make something interesting to do? This campus is boring! Brandy Lyons |