Teacher Conflict

Source

What can I say? I’m old ish and tired of being limited by my computer inadequacies.

So I decided to take matters into my own hands. I signed up for an online computer course, Web Designing, an adult education/continuing ed kind of thing. It went south from there.

Not at first, mind you. I was cruising right along through Lesson One (that cruising terminology dates me, I know, which is why I’m taking the class, I’m… dated.)

Lucky for me though, there is a discussion area where we can ask the instructor questions and engage other students in conversation. I figured I paid for it so let’s see it! I sent the instructor a message with what I had done and how it had NOT worked.

The instructor was amiable…at first…helpful in his own way, but totally not getting what I was saying. My fault? I think not.

After an exchange of messages, where I was becoming more and more frustrated every time I attempted to do the assignment, and trying everything I knew to do, I was ready to throw in the towel, get a refund and try again next month, hopefully with a different instructor!

And then the instructor insulted me, in a non-obvious kind of way. This is what he said:

“In Lesson 1, Chapter 1 under Who This Class Is For it mentions that you should have some degree of computer literacy, and also some basic file management skills, prior to taking this course. (And in fact, most online courses require that just because you need a computer to take the course and do the assignments). Based on your posts so far, I don’t think you have the “basic file management skills” and maybe a little weak in the “computer literacy” department too. I think that’s what’s hanging you up here. The instructions in the lesson are correct as-written. But you do need to already have some computer literacy and file management skills to follow those instructions”.

Wait…WHAT?

So I, feeling very juvenile yet insulted as an adult, answered like this:

“Alrighty then. Did I mention that I have a self hosted Word Press blog? I actually make money blogging. I am able to maneuver through all the many plugins and widgets and actually make pages and various other things. So I’m not a total computer idiot. No worries though! I will figure it out for myself. I’m sure the problem lies with me and not your teaching ability”.

I know, I know, stupid and childish of me.

He was not impressed, as I somehow knew he wouldn’t be. Not that I was trying to impress him per se…just wanted to let him know that I did indeed have some knowledge of a computer…mostly online, but, hey, that takes a little knowledge too.

He diplomatically answered me back but I was still feeling a bit put down, right?. So I answered back with this:

“I was finally able to accomplish this task but not exactly how it was explained here. So maybe this doesn’t apply to me after all: “basic file management skills” and maybe a little weak in the “computer literacy” department too.”

I know, I know,  still in childish mode.

And after his last message assuring me I was on track I simply said, “k”. Notice I didn’t even capitalize the k. Just “k”.

This took me back to high school days, a place I’d rather not revisit.

I must admit, it was fun in a freeing sort of way to “talk back” to the teacher. 🙂

The end result? I gotter done.

Remind me to thank my husband.

Wait, I already did!

Here’s to 5 more weeks~