In “Message to My Freshman Students”, Keith Parsons writes to incoming college students about the differences of expectations and reality of being a new student on campus. Based on his experience with his freshman students, Parsons was not hesitant to suggest that some of them in his introductory course were uninterested and absent-minded. He implies that many students seemed to be unprepared for higher level learning. He “doubts that the differences between high school and university have ever been adequately explained to them.” He claims high school teachers have to monitor pupils more closely and make sure pupils have the information for standardized tests. Parsons asserts that the job of college professors is to lecture and present new information to pupils. The choice is up to them to whether or not chose to learn and study it. Parsons states “at university, learning is your job -- and yours alone”, suggesting that students will have to make an enormous leap from their guided high school learning to succeed in college. He disagrees with a method of teaching called “Flipped learning” and considers himself to be one of the “old-fashioned chalk-and-talk professors.” Parsons asserts that students themselves should be the ones to seek out knowledge instead of expecting professors to catering to their willingness to learn. Parsons takes a stance and claims high school did not do enough to develop critical listening skills, but instead its main concern was test taking skills which he believes isn’t as valuable in college. Parsons insists that often times, college is seen as a place to just “get by” and earn a credit. He argues that it extends beyond that, and pupils should see it as an opportunity to enrich themselves and their environment.
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