An average college student reads 250 words per minute. It would take approximately 3 hours alone to read 60 pages. That’s the average outside of class reading length I’ve had over the past few weeks in my Tuesday/Thursday classes
That’s a 48 hour turnaround, which can be pretty difficult when balancing a college schedule with multiple part-time jobs, with extracurricular activities and other classes. However, I’m not one to argue with professors over homework. I understand that we share a limited amount of time together during the week, and it’s important to be prepared to discuss in class. That’s not what this column is about.
Most outside of class readings are quite simply busy work, and I am not here for it. It’s a waste of time and an insult to our already busy schedules. I am not a student-athlete. I have so much respect for those of you who are, because I see the time and effort you put into it. I could never even attempt what you all are excelling at on a daily basis. Once again though, I think that most student-athletes (which is nearly 40% of undergraduate students here) would feel the same as I do considering they’re balancing practice, lifts, and games.
In regards to my specific class, after the first three weeks of classes I figured out that we wouldn’t be discussing the multitude of pages we had crammed in over the last day or so. I stopped reading. Those who know me, know that I am not that kind of student. I’ve also discussed with other students in my class, and I can confirm that other passionate and motivated students are simply not engaged.
I’ve seen this culture increase in homework and outside of class reading throughout the semester. I’ve had to attend outside of class events with no flexibility on time or location, and no make-up assignment available if I have a prior commitment. I have to do reading every Wednesday that is never brought up in class on Thursday. Most professors on this campus are amazing; they advocate for students, and their classes are engaging and worthwhile. I’m simply asking for mutual respect and to quit the busy work. I don’t take up an unreasonable amount of your time with tasks that don’t relate to our class and work, so please extend the same courtesy to students everywhere.
I will say that as I enter my career as an upperclassman at Springfield College, I’ve noticed a considerably increased amount of this behavior from professors. It’s frustrating, knowing that I’m searching for opportunities to increase my chances at a full-time job after graduation and yet have to read 60 pages unrelated to my curriculum. It’s why I’ve sought out six, yes six, internships this semester to challenge myself further in a way that relates to my future career.
I’ll ask a reflective question, both for myself and my peers, who I’ve heard from already and that I hope to hear from in the coming days. How do we advocate for a more focused workload without insulting professors, because that is not the goal? When does it become time for us to take charge of the education we are paying for? I’d love to hear specific scenarios and thoughts from students either on Instagram (@bynes.media or @thespfldstudent).
(Photo courtesy of Springfield College/Flickr)