I think I’ve realized now that University is pretty much a self-study thing. Faculty guide you and teach you, but sometimes it’s difficult to engage with what they’re saying and trying to communicate. And I’m not blaming them for it, I think it’s also my fault – in terms of how much attention I pay in their class, how much of an ingrained interest I possess in the subjects they teach, and so on.
But wow, is it exhausting to self-teach yourself subjects that are poorly taught. I think the argument for good teachers isn’t merely restricted to the kind of knowledge they’re able to impart. It’s also the kind of holistic understanding they’re able to provide you about a particular field. Additionally, they’re extremely responsible for the opinions you carry on a particular subject, especially if you’re not going to do outside reading about it, because of a lack of interest.
This is because of the amount of time they’re able to spend with you in crafting a narrative for the subject that they teach. Why it’s developed the way it has, where it is today, where it lies, and where they see it going.
I think the bigger exhaustion with trying to decipher what’s been taught isn’t merely in attempting to understand course material and structure it yourself. It also lies in shaping your opinion about a subject in under 2 or 3 days – something you’re ideally supposed to have 60 teaching hours for.
And I don’t think that’s something I’m going apportion 100% of the blame to myself for.
Tejas Rao 