I posted this under science because I see it occurring most under this subject. Many of the tutors here are very rude and useless at times. Honestly, if kids are on the internet seeking help for questions on their homework or whatever, they aren't going to suddenly know the answer because some tutor was rude to them or told them to Google it up. Also, Wikipedia is not a reliable source sometimes because people can change it all the time. In fact, most schools and teachers advise against it. All of you tutors on here can reply or do what they want but I have searched through the archives and I have found some very rude and/or unprofessional replies. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of very helpful and useful replies as well, but there were enough impolite replies to warrant this complaint.
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Thank you for posting your thoughts. I think you have painted us with too broad a brush. I have found that rude is one of those words that started creeping in about two or three years ago. It is used most often in cases where the tutor asks for clarification or asks for the student to show their work. This is a homework help site but many students use it as a homework dump site. My experience is that many (not most) of those so-called rude comments are the result of the student not understanding what the professor meant. I don't think any of the tutors on Jiskha make rude comments on purpose; I do think tutors on Jiskha ask questions that are often construed to be rude by students that simply don't understand or don't want to answer the question. Saying "you were rude to me" is a way of trying to put the prof on the defensive instead of showing their work or answering the prof's questions. Many of the questions (ok, most of the questions) can be answered by the student if they are willing to do some Google work and read their text/notes. You may be surprised at the number of students that ask questions here because they don't want to read the book. In fact, I'm learning that many don't have a book but that's another story. A final note about Wikepedia. I do not believe for a minute that MOST schools and MOST teachers advise against Wikepedia. I would be pleased if you would print the results of your scientific survey showing the 95% confidence level that allows you t draw that conclusion. For a group of volunteers that do this for the fun of it and to be helpful to students who can't (or don't) help themselves (and for free yet), I don't believe we can be beat. I'm a chemist and sometimes I don't express myself very well. I hope some of the other tutors will chime in, especially those with better literary talent than I, with their thoughts although you directed this primarily to science helpers. I wish you the very best of luck in the future, whatever your goal in life. Take care.
I am a relatively new tutor on Jiskha. I have volunteered my time to attempt to help students in academic disciplines in which I am qualified to be of assistance. I am finding that some students exhibit either a lack of ability to research questions for themselves, or an unwillingness to do so. Jiskha rules also require that tutors CHECK students' work, NOT provide the answers to quiz or test questions. Once in a while students accuse us of being "rude" because we will not do their work for them. I have been accused of being rude when I post a link and advise the student to read the article to find (and understand)answers to the question posed, then the student reposts another wrong answer, demonstrating that the student is just guessing and has not read anything to actually learn about his/her question. I am not, in my opinion, being rude at all, but am encouraging the student to actually do some studying so that he/she may learn, not just "get the answer" without understanding the issue involved in the question.
The object of education is not just to pass the test and get the grade, it is to learn about the world we live in so that we might better understand it and be better able to be good citizens, as well as prepare for a career. Just giving the answers to the students accomplishes neither of those goals.
Students sometimes pose their questions in a manner that I cannot understand because of poor writing on the student's part. I will tell them that I cannot understand the question and ask that they rephrase it. I've told some that the question makes no sense. If that's rude, it's truthful and one would hope the student might be encouraged to restate the question in a manner that can be understood. I ask that they be specific about what confuses them. That's not being rude, it is encouraging the student to organize their thoughts so that I might better help them.
Encouraging students to read their texts or assigned materials is also not rude when the answers should, clearly, be in materials the student obviously has not read. Directing students to a website is not being unhelpful, it is asking that the student read something so as to learn. Sometimes I have recommended that a student enter key words in his/her search engine and see what comes up. That is not rude, it is trying to teach students to know how to find answers for themselves, a skill that might be useful throughout life.
If tutor responses sometimes seem terse, they may be. It's difficult to have a long discussion in brief remarks. When a student seems obviously confused about a question, you will find long threads of back-and-forth with the tutor until the student seems to have a good grasp of the subject matter.
I do sometimes recommend Wikipedia, especially as an introduction to a topic. Wikipedia should not be used as a primary source for a research paper, but as an introduction to a topic, I do find it useful. Wikipedia entries also contain links to primary sources, which may be clicked on. I, myself, was taught from middle-school onward not to use encyclopedias as sources in writing papers, be it World Book or any other. But to find a fact or to introduce a topic (provide an overview) they can be useful.
Your comments are very negative but provide no positive advice on how you think we might better serve students. If you have such advice, please feel free to offer it. In the meantime, I will continue to advise students to READ, READ, READ in order to learn. I WILL NOT give them the answers.
The object of education is not just to pass the test and get the grade, it is to learn about the world we live in so that we might better understand it and be better able to be good citizens, as well as prepare for a career. Just giving the answers to the students accomplishes neither of those goals.
Students sometimes pose their questions in a manner that I cannot understand because of poor writing on the student's part. I will tell them that I cannot understand the question and ask that they rephrase it. I've told some that the question makes no sense. If that's rude, it's truthful and one would hope the student might be encouraged to restate the question in a manner that can be understood. I ask that they be specific about what confuses them. That's not being rude, it is encouraging the student to organize their thoughts so that I might better help them.
Encouraging students to read their texts or assigned materials is also not rude when the answers should, clearly, be in materials the student obviously has not read. Directing students to a website is not being unhelpful, it is asking that the student read something so as to learn. Sometimes I have recommended that a student enter key words in his/her search engine and see what comes up. That is not rude, it is trying to teach students to know how to find answers for themselves, a skill that might be useful throughout life.
If tutor responses sometimes seem terse, they may be. It's difficult to have a long discussion in brief remarks. When a student seems obviously confused about a question, you will find long threads of back-and-forth with the tutor until the student seems to have a good grasp of the subject matter.
I do sometimes recommend Wikipedia, especially as an introduction to a topic. Wikipedia should not be used as a primary source for a research paper, but as an introduction to a topic, I do find it useful. Wikipedia entries also contain links to primary sources, which may be clicked on. I, myself, was taught from middle-school onward not to use encyclopedias as sources in writing papers, be it World Book or any other. But to find a fact or to introduce a topic (provide an overview) they can be useful.
Your comments are very negative but provide no positive advice on how you think we might better serve students. If you have such advice, please feel free to offer it. In the meantime, I will continue to advise students to READ, READ, READ in order to learn. I WILL NOT give them the answers.
Thank you, Dr. Bob and Reed, for expressing so eloquently the basic philosophy of Jiskha tutors.
I'll plead guilty to being "mean" and "rude." If encouraging students to read and think earns me this designation, then so be it!
I'll plead guilty to being "mean" and "rude." If encouraging students to read and think earns me this designation, then so be it!
Here, here!
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