Keith M. Parsons’ blogpost, "Message to My Freshman Students", portrays the responsibility of a freshman college student. Parsons insists that a college student hold full responsibility for their learning. Throughout Parsons’ blogpost, he compares the student's’ responsibility between high school and college. Parsons declares that in high school if the student does not learn, the teacher is blamed. On the contrary, in college the student must choose to learn. Parsons emphasizes the fact that he will lead the student to the fountain of knowledge, but the student must choose to learn the material. Whether the student makes an A or a F, Parsons will still get paid the same amount. Parsons stresses that the college freshman must choose to succeed. He insists that if a college student fails, it is their own fault. The responsibilities of a college freshman multiply from their experiences in high school. Once in college, the student must learn to listen and learn on their own time. Parsons displays the responsibilities for the college freshman in his blogpost.
As I read Parsons’ blogpost, I thought some of his points were a little harsh, but I agree with the overall idea that he presents. I really liked how he used comparisons to get across his point to the readers. The high school versus college comparison displayed the responsibility of a college freshman. In high school, the teacher is held responsible for the student’s failure, but in college the student becomes responsible for their own failure. Parsons’ post created a reality check for me. Although I knew that college would be a big responsibility compared to high school, he helped me to look at college from a new perspective. I agree that it is no part of a professor’s job to make a student learn. College is my job in life right now, so I feel like I must learn and do my job correctly. I also agree that it is the professor’s job to lead us to the knowledge and provide us with material to learn. It is up to us, students, to succeed or fail. Although it may be a harsh change from teachers in high school to professors in college in Parsons eyes, I believe that not all professors are like Parsons. So far I have encountered a few professors that want to help their students make a good transition into the college lifestyle and help them to succeed. These particular professors want to help make this a feasible transition, but also want their students to learn their responsibilities in college. I did not like the vibe that I received from Parsons’ when I read how he will get paid the same amount whether we pass or fail. So far I have not experienced a professor like Parsons. Although I do concur with the majority of Parsons’ blog post, I think that he comes across to be slightly barbarous. He does make good points throughout his post that I agree with. I fully agree that a college student has the responsibility of choosing to learn, and the professor does not have to care. Parsons believes in teaching lecture style only. He speaks adamantly about students not listening and learning during his lectures. I agree with the “buzz term” of flipped learning in a classroom. I think that it helps the students learn the material, but Parsons does not buy into this new technique of learning. Overall, I enjoyed reading Parsons’ blogpost because he warned me of the responsibility that college professors expect out of their students.