When I came to Miami University I knew English would be my first major. It had always been the area I excelled in and enjoyed the most in high school and as someone who loved writing and reading, it seemed like an obvious choice for me to continue this curriculum intocollege.
However, my excitement for the major and the path it would hopefully lead me to came to a screeching halt when I discovered it wasn't simply the English language I was being taught.
So many of my classes have been clouted by the personal opinion of the staff teaching the course that this year I decided to add on a journalism major and take a break, for a semester, of English classes all together.
This is not to say English is the only department where indoctrination occurs. I have spoken to many other students who feel that often a professor or teacher's private beliefs are so frequently interjected into the classroom that it is as if the curriculum is simply chucked out the window.
More specifically, many students, as well as myself, have experienced professors that seem to have a complete disregard for a differing opinion from their own, as if it would be absurd to think someone would oppose their radical yet "justifiable" viewpoints.
Sometimes professors and educators need to be reminded that although the experience they bring to a classroom is usually unmatched by their younger students, student opinion and thought can be learned from, even if it goes against the grain of the classroom and the teacher.
The best professors I've had recognize that sometimes they are wrong or a student who does not agree with them may have a good or original point. I have found myself challenged often in a positive way, by the teachers I have challenged. They rebound from disagreement and can offer ways the student may be right instead of just rolling their eyes in disagreement, teaching me to do the same not only in the classroom but in life. To engage in a true liberal education, open mindedness must be an open dialogue and taught from teacher to student as well as student to teacher.
It seems that too often students are told to sit in classes all day, listen and nod their head at what they are told and if they disagree with something, smile and think about the grade dock they may receive if they open their mouth to object or state otherwise. Sadly, I've found that sometimes it is much easier to spew back to a professor what he or she wants to hear in order to earn a good grade. This does not promote critical thinking, one of the cores of liberal and Miami's education and should not be tolerated.
I do not want the aforementioned points to overshadow the great professors I personally know from experience Miami and it's department of English do offer. Yet, I think it is important for professors to reevaluate at what level they hold in regard the raw and true opinion of a student so the actual department, course and classroom is not looked upon as a great silencer of debate but instead a critical, engaging and thought-provoking one.
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