Who's right, me or my teacher?

[Dimmak]

Tomatketchup,

While I am sure your project was good, part of an assignment is following the instruction and meeting the criteria. When you get in the real world ( I do mean that loosely) your employer is going to ask you to do X. If you give him the most amazing Y in the world you are still getting fired because they asked for X.

I've been in your shoes where the creative juices just need to burst out in expression the only thing I could do in the end was... do two projects. I would literally do the assigned requirement to show I could follow instructions and pay attention to the detail the professor wanted. I did a second project for my own personal achievement that was goofy or off the wall and usually submitted it. Instead of getting Fs I was suddenly getting extra credit and commended for the creativity.

If it's that important to create the humor project try submitting it as extra credit.

I hope that helps.

[Deleted]

Rubbish; if teachers were always correct, I'd apparently have failed every subject I did, as opposed to getting a complete set of A's. I can't begin to count the number of times I've been told "You should drop the class, it's unlikely you'll pass". I just ignored them and went on to get brilliant grades in the finals.

That being said; in this case in particular. The teacher needs to lighten up, unless it was specifically stated in the marking scheme that the interview had to be "Realistic" then you shouldn't have gotten an F. I'd bluntly argue against that; as you've got the better case, providing it doesn't state it in the marking scheme.

If it does state it in the marking scheme, you're screwed; do it again.

chill, i was joking :\

[Endus]

Then you suck as a teacher and I hope you don't substitute too much. Such narrow thinking in school makes people not fully use their talent capabilities. You just create another zombie for society.

The thing is, 99.5% of students aren't even remotely as creative or innovative as they think. It's not even their fault; they just haven't experienced enough stuff to know when they're coming up with something "new". And most of them think "ignoring the rules" is the same as "being creative", when that's the opposite of true.

The only thing more useless for society than a "zombie" is an "artist" who can't produce what his clients ask for and can't be arsed to learn basic skills in his field. At least a zombie can work an assembly line or something.

[Deleted]

You didn't do a real interview....

The purpose of an interview is to obtain real information about the subject. Unfortunately all the information you obtained was probably fiction for the most part.

Interview - a formal meeting in which one or more persons question, consult, or evaluate another person.

- Dictionary Definition.

Nothing really about fact finding; interviewing someone is just generally getting their views on something or other or a statement from them.

chill, i was joking :\

I was being facetious :P

[Deleted]

My first thoughts are how do you know what you should have got?

She told me.

Second was the assignment to actually interview someone?

Yes. I did interview my pal, although we came up with a background story before we started to interview.

Also what are you aiming for career wise? As I find most technical roles tend to be larger asking people what they need and creating it with the asking bit usually the hardest as this is where projects tend to go wrong.

Programmer/Entrepreneur.

[gneugen]

Not true, using what you see on tv that gets a shock from people is not creativity, would you tell me that real world/Jersey shore is creative? What the op is doing is not using his creativity hes simply trying to get attention from his peers in a shock and aww way. True creativity is originality, there is nothing original from the OP

Entertainment will always be about pushing the envelope a little further. What was shocking 30 years ago is no longer shocking. Things that are shocking now are sometimes things that were not shocking at all 30 years ago. When there's a line in the sand in cultural norms, entertainers will always want to step over those.

And as for your interpretation of creativity... Creativity seems like true originality to those who are outside the realm of art they're observing. The truth is that there is a lineage in every art form that is constantly pulled from for inspiration. Bach did not wake up one day and decide he knew how to write music. He pulled inspiration and knowledge from the masters before him. Dive into any art form and you'll find that there are pieces of many many many artists' work in all subsequent creations. That's what makes it so interesting -- in that it acts as a constant reflection of our human history and it crosses national and cultural borders to create unpredictable connections between cultures.

[Shadowmeld]

It is just part of school. Are you there to have the time of your life, or to get educated so you can get out in the real world for a job? If it is the later, you need good grades and you need to learn. To do this, you are the student and need to do exactly what the teacher wants. You need to take the tests that the teacher makes (as stupid as they may be), do the reading the teacher asks (as boring/pointless as it may seem), and do the stupid projects exactly as the teacher wants.

Learning this, that your goal is to do what your teacher (or boss) wants and not what you think is best, is a huge part of school. It's a pain, but you gotta learn it.

[Mongoose19]

Creating unrealistic stories about something that was intended to be a learning experience would probably clarify as someone becoming a zombie. She's trying to teach him how to actually function in society because pulling that off in a job situation or in college would have got him kicked out/fired.

Think before you post, PLEASE

Gimme a break, he wouldn't do that in job I am quite sure, school is school it's time for finding your own way. Better do it then than not have chance to do it all because of the "society". And sorry to say you lost your ability to think, you just follow the rules and schemes, there's no thinking involved in that.

[belfpala]

From a teacher's pov its better to do this paper again until you learn to deliver exactly whats asked from you (because above all else that's what you will have to do in real working environments) then get fired in the future because you tried way to hard and failed on the basics.

As you grow up and stabilize your position inside a working environment btw you will get way more chances to show your creativity and take initiatives. But 1st you have to prove yourself and earn the right to do so and that starts be delivering exactly whats asked of you. Even if that's simple things.

From an employer's POV, I tend to look down on employees who do only what I ask of them. There is a difference, of course, between being creative for creativity's sake, and being creative because you understand the task and see a way to do it better.

[Deleted]

- Dictionary Definition.

Nothing really about fact finding; interviewing someone is just generally getting their views on something or other or a statement from them.



I was being facetious :P

its hard to detect that sort of stuff online :P

[Shaelen]

I had to jump on on this discussion. There are couple things to keep in mind about your problem:

1. How do you know you would have received a B? Did the teacher show you the rubric and tell you that's what you would have received? You may be assuming it was better than it really was.
2. If the assignment was to conduct a realistic interview, and you didn't do that, she technically has the right to fail you because you didn't follow the assignment. Some assignments are just not that suited for being overly creative. Also, you said you tend to do silly/creative assignments when she has stated that's not the goal. If I was your teacher, and I told you several times to take an assignment seriously but you disregarded it, I could see grading this final assignment harsher.
3. If you really feel the assignment was unfairly graded, you could take it up with the department head/dean/principal, etc. However, don't do it if you know you're in the wrong. That will just be annoying and cause more problems for you

[Deleted]

it is school so just to what they ask you to do even if you think you know that youre better,smarter,more creative than they want. you can still be creative on your own and do the whole thing without your teachers supervision. the question is why you need her approval to do what you consider creative

[CaptainArlong]

In life you're going to find that while you think something is funny, other people aren't. Thankfully, when you get to know someone, you find out just how serious they are and what you should expect from them. You have had past experiences with your teacher, and you should have known that you can't joke around with her. It's all on your head, and be glad it wasn't a job where the boss just straight up fired you for your sense of humor.

[Deleted]

That being said; in this case in particular. The teacher needs to lighten up, unless it was specifically stated in the marking scheme that the interview had to be "Realistic" then you shouldn't have gotten an F.

I just imagine an editor giving his reporter an assignment like this: "Take an inteview of a murderer. Oh yes don't forget, it have to be realistic!".

[xxAkirhaxx]

Maybe your teacher already understands that you do comedy just fine, and to better round yourself for the field you enjoy, your teacher is trying to make you immerse yourself in it completely. So go back, make a serious interview, and if you really love the field you're in, in your spare time, work on other projects you truly enjoy.

To look at it from a different prespective, your teachers opinions are what partially garners your college professors approval, and your professors opinions partially garner a future employers approval. Would you sit there and jam some crap you thought was witty down an employers throat? No, they'd fire you.

Finally, if you still think it very necessary to be defiant to your instructors, then simply quit being instructed. Maybe, you are better, and more creative than they can teach. Any new people that come along, or possible new employers can't see your vision. That's some risky ground to tread on, but it can also be very rewarding.

[marixis]

I go to high school right now in an university-preparing computer-specialized class. That means, once we're done with our studies we should be able to become civil engineers and programmers. And we've got a multimedia subject. It sucks. So we got this assignment where we are supposed to interview someone. My multimedia teacher doesn't like that I joke around with my assignments (I did a comical music video and she gave it a C- instead of an B because I took too many initiatives) so I was aware of the risks when I made an interview with my pal where the premise was that I interviewed a murderer who in the end turns out to be just an addicted Grand Theft Auto player. Today I got to know what grade I got on it. I would've gotten a B, but since my interview was unrealistic I got an F and now I have to redo the whole thing from the start.

I wouldn't have a huge problem with it if it wasn't for the fact that everything was perfect except the fact that it was unrealistic.

Well, imho, I bolded the important items and removed a majority of the rest.

It’s a university preparing class that when finished can lead you on to becoming civil engineers and programmers. Your teacher is known to take things seriously and doesn’t like that you don’t (personal creative license or not) and you still went on to make a joke interview about a murderer who was “just addicted to GTA" and it’s stated as unrealistic.

I side with the teacher. While it’s ok to have fun, take your education seriously. Because even if you don’t, she does.

[Deleted]

I just imagine an editor giving his reporter an assignment like this: "Take an inteview of a murderer. Oh yes don't forget, it have to be realistic!".

There are plenty of stupid interviews out there done by papers. They can occasionally do mock articles if they feel like it. There are also quite a few satirists who work for papers.

[calculating]

go above her head; dean/head of the department/principal
present your case there, it sounds like she won't budge and her boss SHOULD be smarter and should have more experience in creativity

[Mongoose19]

The thing is, 99.5% of students aren't even remotely as creative or innovative as they think. It's not even their fault; they just haven't experienced enough stuff to know when they're coming up with something "new". And most of them think "ignoring the rules" is the same as "being creative", when that's the opposite of true.

The only thing more useless for society than a "zombie" is an "artist" who can't produce what his clients ask for and can't be arsed to learn basic skills in his field. At least a zombie can work an assembly line or something.

It's not the case of being bad worker, not at all. It's the case of being constantly obedient to rules no matter how wrong they are. You sadly learn that from school and when it's finished in most of the cases it's too late to change your perception. This brings us to current society where things like SOPA and ACTA are close to being signed as law. That's where "think like us or get F" leads to.

[Tygrion]

It would have been very useful if you acutally posted what you had to do in the assignment - not the very brief summary you gave, but the specifics of what you were required to do.

Assignments are given for specific reasons, with specific instructions, with specific learning outcomes in mind. At the end of the day, if you didnt fulfill the requirements, then the quantity and quality of what you did is irrelevant.

You say you knew you were taking a risk etc. Sounds like you knew it wasnt really what was being asked for. So perhaps you should have run it by the teacher first, which would have saved both yourself and the teacher time, effort and sanity.

At any rate, without knowing what the assignment requirements were and how far you acutally strayed from them, we have to make huge assumptions to give a response.. so yeah.