I take issue with how Parsons expects his first year students to immediately make the transition from high school to college without any help from their professor. College is much different from high school, and every first year student is going to have to do some adjusting. Parsons said that he is not your teacher, but your professor. Parsons feels that it is a teacher’s responsibility to guide and make sure that their students do not fail their course. He is basically saying he does not care if his students pass or fail because it was his inexperienced first year student’s choice. Parsons fails to realize that not all first year students can adapt to the old- fashioned way of learning that universities us; some freshman need guidance because they had teachers guiding them all the way through high school. When I made the transition from high school, it took me a while to adjust to the college lifestyle. This is the first times I have been away from my parents for an extended period of time. My parents always kept an eye on me to make sure that I would be doing my studies, but now it is my responsibility to make sure I keep up with my work. It would took even longer if all of my professors had the mindset that Parsons displays.
In addition, Parsons adds that he has no obligation whatsoever to make sure whether his students pass or fails his class. Parsons says he will lead his students to knowledge, but it is their job whether they take his information or ignore it. Parsons is coming off as a tough professor, but all in all he is telling his students that college is nothing like high school.