Dr. Maitland Jones is an internationally renowned figure in the field of organic chemistry with decades of experience in research and education.
During his extensive career, Jones and his research group have
published over 225 papers.
Jones also pioneered a technique of teaching that focused more on
problem-solving rather than rote learning. He also authored a highly regarded
1,300-page textbook “Organic Chemistry,” which is currently in its fifth
edition.
Jones received many accolades for his work.
After retiring from Princeton University in 2007, Jones began
teaching organic chemistry at New York University on a contractual basis.
The
accolades continued at NYU. Jones was regarded among the ‘coolest’ professors for
offering ‘tough love' such that students completing his course would have
“the best tools to use to become a chemist.”
Alas, those days are over.
Jones was recently sacked from NYU.
Why?
82 of his 350 students signed a petition
against him.
The New York Times revealed
that the
petition read as follows:
"We are very concerned about our
scores, and find that they are not an accurate reflection of the time and
effort put into this class"
“We urge you to realize that a class with
such a high percentage of withdrawals and low grades has failed to make
students' learning and well-being a priority and reflects poorly on the
chemistry department as well as the institution as a whole."
The petition added that Jones reduced the
number of midterm exams from three to two, but he did not offer extra credit,
no Zoom access to lectures for students with Covid-19 and he taught with a
condescending and demanding tone.
NYU officials
have tried to pacify their students by offering to review their grades and
allowing them to withdraw from the class retroactively as a “one-time exception
granted to students by the dean of the college.”
Back to Jones.
In a grievance to NYU, protesting his termination, Jones wrote he noticed a decline in standards for over a decade
with a loss of focus among the students, even among those hoping to pursue
medical careers.
Jones revealed that students were misreading exam questions at an
astonishing rate. Their grades fell despite reducing the difficulty of their
exams.
Following the pandemic, Jones said that the students not only didn’t
study, but they also didn’t seem to know how to study, consequently, their grades
suffered considerably.
To ease pandemic stress, Jones and two other professors recorded 52
organic chemistry lectures. Jones said that he personally paid more than $5,000
for the videos and that they are still used by the university.
Jones also said that the students “weren’t coming to class. … they
weren’t watching the videos, and they weren’t able to answer the questions.”
Another chemistry professor at NYU. said he discovered cheating during
online tests. But when he pushed students’ grades down, for their misconduct, they
protested that “they were not given grades that would allow them to get into
medical school.”
Now for Jones’s subject.
Organic chemistry is a complex and tough subject. It demands the ability
to understand the complexities of the bonding of atoms. To excel in organic
chemistry an individual needs talent, diligence, and a great memory. This is
why the subject can be seen as a litmus test for medical-school
suitability.
Can teachers be needlessly harsh towards students?
They are humans and are prone to faults.
But considering Jones’s eminent record and the accolades he received as a teacher, NYU should have worked with Jones to find a solution.
But instead, they sacked Jones based on the petition from just 23.4
percent of his students.
Hence demonstrating that Education is seen more like a consumer product,
making the student a customer and the employer while the educator is relegated
to being the subordinate.
The students have powers that leave educators with no choice but to
appease the students to retain employment.
These students view opposing perspectives as threats.
The students' powers have
reached heights that it is they who decided who can and who cannot speak at
their institution. If the leadership at the institution insists on
conducting the speech, they storm the auditorium and engage in unruly behavior for which they are never punushed.
This mindset is applied in the face of any hardships. If a teacher calls
them out for lacking effort, it is viewed as a personal affront. If the teacher
pushes them to the limits, it is viewed as an attack.
The powers that be in the university are going to such an extent to
appease their students.
The appeasement has reached such heights that students complained
that Jones’s course ended “many a dream of medical school.’
Students must realize that the function of educational institutions isn’t
to fulfill dreams. It is a place of learning which demands considerable effort and
ability. It is also a place where abilities are evaluated and those lacking are
excluded. This isn’t an act of discrimination, but an essential function.
If this is left unchecked, there will come a day when students decided on the syllabus even what their grades.
The impact of lowering standards will be felt in the real world.
A doctor who lacks talent, abilities, and diligence could misdiagnose a
patient
At times the patient could be subjected to unnecessary medication
causing serious side effects. Unnecessary tests and medical procedures could be
recommended.
At times crucial symptoms are ignored because the doctor doesn't have
the knowledge or the ability. The treatment prescribed is insufficient. The
ailment worsens to a point where treatment is impossible.
In both scenarios, the results could be irreversible and could even be a
matter of life and death.
Precious lives could be lost and so could time and money.
What about the inability to deal with 'difficult' people?
The medical profession is stressful, doctors are always surrounded by
people who are sick and suffering which will cause stress.
At times patients and their relatives complain and even launch verbal
attacks on the doctor out of frustration.
A doctor must be mentally sound enough to rise above it and calmly
explain to the patients and others who are agitated about the reasons for his
choice of treatment.
At times in medical school, they have demanding teachers who are
perfectionists and demand perfection from students. In the end, a surgeon has
no option but to be perfect.
The impact is just professional but personal.
When students are relentlessly pampered, they view a slight criticism
or word of advice is seen as an act of hostility.
Consequently, they go deeper and deeper into their echo chambers excluding
every contrarian's voice till they are alone.
The result is we have a large group of unemployable individuals.
It is said that the destruction of civilization begins by attacking
its roots. The roots here are educational institutes. This is exactly what is happening to educational institutes in
America. The targets aren't the students but the nation and all that it stands for.
Also appears on American Thinker
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