Keep your mouth shut and get a grade, or confront?

[Snakelover]

I made the mistake of opening my mouth and blasting the prof in a nothing class in an MBA program. I was right! This prof was also the dean of the business school. I dropped the class and took it the next semester. The oroginal prof made the sylabus and the new prof had already heard that I was a troublemaker. I was still right. Needless to say that I had to drop that one as well. It has now been two years and I cannot transfer enough credits to get my degree elsewhere without taking most of the classes over. Yep, I was right, but look where it got me. Big time student loans and no advanced degree.

Man, that stinks! I've never tried it myself, but I've seen what happened to others that have and it wasn't pretty. The prof has all the advantages; he controls the microphone, he decides how much he gets to say and how much you get to say, he decides when the conversation is over and he always gets the last word and, most imortantly, he controls all the subjective aspects of your grade. Sure, they might react as Chew and Samsdad said. Or they might not. It's like a Clint Eastwood movie. "Do you feel lucky, punk?" It's simply not worth the risk in my opinion.

[Snakelover]

Jerp, by the time your son hits his senior year, he will probably just be happy if all his profs are fluent in English. I taught myself calculus and organic chemistry. One does what one must.

[Eric Pence]

The marine story is awsome needs to be a MANDATORY read on here for children.(and some adults)

[AggieHunter]

Spoken from experience - If you challenge a prof, even if his philosophies and presentation are skewed/biased, he will not like you very much after that, and your grade will likely suffer.

In Watershed Management and Planning at A&M (which sucks btw) I tried to get my prof to understand/recognize an alternative side to the argument he had about the removal of Ashe Juniper in the hill country. Apparently he took it as a challenge and from that point on, everything that came out of my mouth automatically got him fired up. Not a very plesant semester!

[M.E.B.]

I made a statement in biology class the second week of high school my senior year. The teacher shot me down and made me look like an idiot. I got proof that I was right from my veterinarian boss and showed it to him before class in private so not to embarrash the teacher.

Next day I was removed from his class by the guidance counselor.
He was the ONLY biology teacher.

Took typing instead.

Over the years I have had bosses that do not mind being challenged if you think they are coming from left field but most are not real open to it.

Short answer most people in power have that power because they like it and and being told that they are wrong does not endear you to them...........

[Bill]

When I attended Penn State, an English instructor for Freshman English told the class "This is primarily a research institution, and you as undergraduates are here to merely foot the bill. Act accordingly."

Unless your son is ready to fight the battle to the end, up to the school administration if necessary against the liberal professor, and risk the consequences of loosing the fight, it's good lessons for him to learn that 1. liberals preach freedom of speech and alternative ideas, but only when those reinforce their view in opposition to the traditional, conservative positions, and 2. liberals will never fight 'fair' in an open debate to discuss your opposing view. They'll always be able to twist it to make a conservative/ traditional viewpoint racist, and they'll find a way to seek retribution in another way.

My son attended a private, parochial high school, and when he submitted the end of the 2nd Ammendment as high school yearbook quote, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed, it was rejected and he was told "but Ryan, guns kill people". I told him to focus on more important things, and to learn lessons # 1 and #2 above.

[dtu11]

Speak out in disagreement...but add that if he flunks him he would have no choice but go along with his socialist ideas and let the government take care of him while he provides nothing to society.

[Blue Tick]

Listening to all of this.....kinda like telling us to sit back and take what is dished out. No wonder the libs are taking everything.

[Joshua Flournoy]

He's not going to change the mind of the professor. BUT....he might change the minds of some of those several hundred other students. Something to think about.

[VorTexan]

No offense here..but this guy is at TECH?

and we keep hearing A&M as well...

you would think these two schools would have "good ole Texans"
teaching there.

Again, no offense but a lib that makes his way to Texas Tech...I would think his goals would be elsewhere...and again no offense guys but think about it?

[shawn]

Bad things happen when Good men do nothing!

[Stick Slinger]

If the prof is professional and actually cares about his students then I would tell your son to ask him questions in a way that makes your son look smart and like he's actually thinking about his questions instead of asking or talking out loud like some dumb@$$ Rush or O' Rielly, if you son talks smart then he'll be more apt to listen rather than getting ******.