End of an Era

[ssgross]

Well, after ~17 years of teaching college, either as a full time faculty or part time adjunct, I just gave my last final exam (it was Calculus). I have a few things to say now that I've thrown in that towel.

The current generation of college freshmen spent their middle school on a screen, or not at all, locked out of the classroom and locked away from the live discussion so critical to developing creative problem solving skills. In many cases they spent the next 4 years "remediating the learning loss", which is code for re-doing middle school math and not really covering any high school topics at the depth or difficulty required for later success. I've seen the effects first-hand in the college classroom. Teachers kick the can down the road, but the can ends up in my classroom. Compounding these effects is the movement of lower level teachers away from using homework as a learning tool (because it is "a punishment for the kids that won't do it"). How is a young engineer supposed to actually learn something without any experience solving a problem completely on their own? I could write volumes on the necessary and strategic value of such activities. No, the immediate future is quite scary considering that degrees in dangerous subjects (chemistry, engineering, computer security, etc.) will still be awarded with inflated grades, and tight job markets with short supply will still give them all jobs based on faulty credentials alone. Think about that in the coming years the next time you drive over a bridge, or flip on the autopilot switch in your self-driving car. The person in charge likely asked chat-gpt for the answer, and is betting with your life that it is correct.

So those are the facts. But that is not why I'm quitting. In spite of all the above, I still find teaching to be very fulfilling and one of the most rewarding activities of my career - watching and facilitating young minds grow and blossom into real problem solvers. I have been blessed to watch many succeed who otherwise might have fallen through the cracks (much like me). But now my own kids are at that same critical age of discovering the value in hard work, perseverance, and chasing an interesting problem into whatever subject area thier idea might lead. And I'm tired of missing evening ball games, parent-teacher conferences, helping with homework (not much to do there these days) or just hanging out in the back yard after a long day.

So cheers - to more time in the shop, more time chasing other problems, and more time with kids and family (hopefully in the shop!)