Dear Tracy,
One of my professors only likes to hear his own voice in class- he never stops talking! What can I do to keep my sanity during his never-ending diatribes?
Sincerely,
I Have Thoughts

Dear Thoughts,

Your professor talks the whole class long? What planet are you from- this is college, that’s kind of the point. Professors teach… it’s what they do. I’m all about a good discussion class, after all everyone “has thoughts” and some are even worth sharing, but it sounds to me like you’ve found yourself in a good old fashioned lecture class and if that’s the case, then my best advice is to just buckle down and listen. It might be exhausting and you might get tired of your professors voice after an hour (or 5 minutes, but who’s counting), but your professor is teaching the class for a reason. Even if your professor goes off-topic, there’s always something interesting to learn from them (I’ve gotten some excellent restaurant recommendations this way).

Maybe this is more of a “you have questions and aren’t getting any answers”  kind of a situation? If that’s the case, I highly suggest office hours or email. Every professor at USF holds office hours at least once a week, and in this case, that’s a whole hour where you know exactly how to reach your professor with your questions. Emailing your prof is always good too-sometimes it’s easier to address specific questions when they’re in email form, and let’s hope your professor’s fingers get tired so he doesn’t send you a long-winded response.

My last-ditch advice is to join the dual degree teaching program and become a professor yourself… then you’ll have your own class of students who are obligated to listen to you!

Do you have a question? I’m pretty sure I know everything  and that makes me qualified to answer it! Email your questions to scene@sffoghorn.info
-Tracy Sidler