Western Kentucky University / K / Barbara Kacer

In this class, the beginning of your Master's Program starts here. The main thing you work on in this class is your PGP (Professional Growth Plan). Dr. Kacer was great about being helpful through various circumstances of her students such as some who haven't found a job yet, some who had lost their jobs, some who were teaching at a collegiate level versus the certification level.

There are 3 main assignments including the PGP and the first two guide you the entire way to write your PGP successfully. Dr. Kacer required two to three Saturday meetings on campus for the class section I was in but the remainder was online. Very easy to talk to and had fun while in class. Extra credit was offered a few times in the semester for simple things.

I would recommend Dr Kacer to anyone!

This is a difficult course, but it is a very enlightening one as well. You will examine yourself thoroughly as a teacher and really come to know who you are as a teacher. Overall Dr. Kacer can seem a little difficult to understand, but this is a graduate level course, if you don't understand something...learn to ask. She will be as helpful to you as you are for yourself. She won't know you need help if you don't ask. stay on top of your assignment due dates as they will vary because everybodies gets returned at different times based on her grading time and your next assignment is due so many days after the first being returned. i highly recommend her, she knows her stuff!

I had a good experience in Dr. Kacer's class. She assigned a lot of work to the class, but I was able to use the classroom assignments in my other classes later, and also while teaching.

She taught her students to be self-sufficient, and how to research to find lesson plans and make them standards-based.

This was one of the hardest classes I have taken, but it was worth it. She is very intelligent. Many students didn't want to do all the coursework, so that is why they are giving her a low rating. She did notice when something was handed in late, or not at all, but I think this was a good thing.

Dr. Kacer was always there if I had a question or needed help. Form a study group for her classes, do the work, and you will be fine.

I'm really not sure what to post that will make anybody believe that Kacer is worth taking a chance on, but I'm going to try. I am so glad that I had Dr. Kacer this semester. Because of all of the horrible reviews she gets, we had such a small class, and it was one of my favorite classes I've had in college yet. You just have to go into her class with a good attitude. We could joke around with her and each other and we weren't scared of her just because of horror stories we had heard. We treated her like a person and we had fun. I learned so much in this class, but more than that, I made a lot of good friends. Just make sure you are willing to work hard and ask questions when you have them. She will help you if you need it, but most people are just too scared of her to ask. I think that she is a very misunderstood woman and that she has a very undeserved reputation. Yes, she can be crazy, but laugh at her. She'll laugh back. I promise.

I didn't think she was that difficult to be honest. Yeah, she required a lot of work, but most education classes do. Get used to it people. Don't go into teaching if you just want to slack off. Take Dr. Kacer if you want a small class with a lot of attention.

Oh yeah, and she makes coffee everyday :)

The assignments are far more difficult than necessary. Everything must be done her way or you will fail. Her way means that you will not get instructions for what she wants until days before the assignment is due. She will give you a very confusing rubric and not elaborate. Your lesson plans must be so detailed that she wants you to list everything you will or even think you might say or do. The class is very rarely ever related to SEC 351 subject or assignments. I've learned more about her than education this year. She likes to do goofy things in class and will pick certain students to make fun of. Even if you think you are on her good side, you are not. The textbook is not really needed (I used it once). Do not take this professor unless you really want to stress out all semester long.

Do not take Kacer, no matter what! If not taking her means you have to change your schedule, so be it. If you have to graduate a semester late, oh well. Whatever it takes, don't take Kacer. If you do take her you will probably struggle through the semester, only to magically end up getting a C no matter what kind of grades you earned. This is because she does not want you to go to the Dean and complain. I know it is easy to brush off complaints against teachers as being petty or simply students blaming the teacher for their own failures, but please understand that Kacer is an exception. She is by far the worst professor I've ever had at WKU, and I'm a senior. Don't take Kacer!

Hello Everyone,

In my opinion, Dr. Kacer is a very good teacher. She knows exactly what she wants from her students and expects nothing less. The class is demanding and requires a lot of work, but if you are serious about teaching then you will get through it. I think that the class is designed to “make or break” a student. It really shows you what you’re made of. Don’t let the bad posts scare you. I’m so glad that I had Dr. Kacer. She prepared me for my other education classes thoroughly.

If you take her class, the best advice that I can give you is this:

-Stay on top of your assignments. Don’t wait until the night before to get it done. There is so much required and so much detail that if you wait, you will do mediocre work. Your grade will reflect that.

-Go the extra mile with your assignments. Do your best; Dr. Kacer can tell who’s really trying.

-Have a sense of humor. Teachers have their own individual teaching style. So, basically, go with her flow.

I hope you take Dr. Kacer because I think she is a humorous and energetic teacher. You will come out of her class prepared for the next level of edu classes.

Okay, so Dr. Kacer gets a lot of flack. And, yes, she does play favorites in her class. And yes, she is a very hard person to deal with. I had my problems with her just like everyone else. There were times I wanted to walk out the door and never come back. However, she at least tells you a million times WHAT is due and WHEN it is due, unlike another SEC professor I have had. I truly believe that she is hard on people just to see which ones can take the heat. Teaching is not an easy job, folks. If you can't handle Kacer's class, then you probably need to rethink your career because she is nothing like some of the students you will encounter.

I first wish to say that I am aware that if anyone reads this, which in itself is doubtful, that it will not be taken into account. I understand that options are limited and since nothing has been done about Dr. Kacer yet, nothing will be done in the future. However, when given the chance to speak my mind, I will do so; I do not care if anyone listens, just as long as someone hears.

Dr. Kacer needs to be forced to resign. I will not sugar coat the issue at all. She does not belong in a classroom of any kind. The fact that, before my time, there were high school students taught by Dr. Kacer in some obscure high school classroom is appalling. Now she finds herself teaching in a college environment; this is even more stomach churning. She is informing young (not too young; an overall average of about 24-25 years old) minds on how to teach when she herself follows no dogma of teaching, morality, or content at all. She is a rude, condescending, discourteous, unappreciative, prejudiced, arrogant, uncooperative, unknowledgeable, and abusive (mentally, psychologically, physically, emotionally) person. Granted, I most likely will not come out of this class as a lesser person. However, I will go into my next classes with little or no previous knowledge of that which Dr. Kacer should’ve spent time teaching me.

My ill feelings toward Dr. Kacer have naught to do, by the way, with the amount of work in the class. The work was difficult and abundant, yet still attainable. The assignments, when left to my own devising, were not overly unreachable. When Dr. Kacer would explain them, however, she confused the entire class. She would change the titles of certain assignments, not explain her changes, and continue on with her “lesson.” When a student asks a question, she ignores them. When another student asks the same question, she will scold them about raising their hand (because we are after all, college students and not to be treated like humans engaged in a discussion) and continue, still not answering the question because she does not know the answer. Finally the class takes over, demanding that the question be answered. She makes something up angrily, declares we have too many things to do to waste our time, and continues, leaving us frustrated and confused.

She is a fan of favoritism as well. She will pick who she likes in the class, and treat them with favor, courtesy, and with overall humane respect. The rest of us get the opposite treatment and are regarded as “poor dumb so and so” and be told that we will end up “in a home” within a few years. Most likely the person(s) she picks for her favorite will be a female. This is just a fact of Dr. Kacer: she prefers females to the rest. I do not know why, and I do not have specific examples. I just have noticed her sexist tendencies and wish it to stop.

The fact that Dr. Kacer is a doctor at all is the only encouraging factor of this class; it gives me hope that one day I can receive my doctorate and restore the respect that the distinction once held. I know now that you need not be a decent person, talented teacher, or even fair human being to receive a doctorate. You need only a good topic and a decent dissertation. Also, I have lost respect for the theory of tenure. After as many poor evaluations as I know Dr. Kacer has received, one would think that the issue would be dealt with. However, influence and age triumphs over ability and respect. I will hesitate to say that Dr. Kacer is the worst teacher of my experience for as long as Dr. Kacer hesitates to call someone stupid…no hesitation in the least.

Thank you.

This woman is a BITCH!!! She is the devil and I would suggest you drop out of Western before you take this hateful old hag. Her class was the most confusing class ever because she did not explain what she wanted she just expected you to figure it out. What could have been a fun, easy class was the worst experience of my life.

Hey you. Are you thinking of taking Barbara Kacer's class? Then listen up, because I'm not writing this out of revenge. I'm writing this to help people not to go through what I did.

If you take Kacer, you may have a nervous breakdown. Accept this. If you've looked at the amount of negative reviews you should have a good idea of what this woman will put you through. She can be incompetent, rude, stubborn, unreasonable, boring, belittling--the list goes on. She was the singlemost frustrating professor I have ever met. There were times at which I literally wanted to run away from campus. I had nightmares about her, often.

If you take her, realize that you might find her likeable at times. She often offsets her students by taking a dump on them, yet acting chummy at other times. She can be unpredictable.

Here is a very important key to surviving this class: meet with her in her office often. Her instructions are often terribly unclear and you will need explanations and re-explanations. Meeting with her will also endear you to her, if you are respectful and deferring. Don't be so afraid of her that you avoid her.

Don't bother complaining to her. She will not sympathize. Defer to her. Play the part of the stupid humble student when you need help.

Get the phone numbers of several other students. You will need to support eachother as a class in order to get through this. You may need to talk to someone just to vent, if nothing else.

No matter how much time is wasted in class (you will be bored out of your mind) you need to show up, as she will give you critical information concerning her over-complicated projects. Pay careful to everything she says about her projects. If you miss small details she will dock you big time. What I mean is this: it is easier to lose points on projects than to make them. MANY times I have spent one all-nighter after another on a project. I turn the thing in to her--and I mean, my blood is in this thing--and recieve it back several weeks later, only to find I have a D along with several carelessly scrawled comments (comments that barely even make sense). You often won't find out just what it is she wanted until you get your project back. The projects will seem easy at first, by the way. Don't let this fool you. It's going to get ugly.

I suggest bringing a healthy snack and something to drink to class. You've got to be there, and you'll be there for a long time.

Another thing: Kacer will probably embarrass you in front of the class at some point. Don't take it personally. It's not you. It's her. She doesn't realize how insensitive she can be sometimes.

Finally, if there is any way at all, I plead with you to avoid this class. Most people who take it earn a B. However, after all the work you have done you may not feel the B was worth it. You will get a horrible workload, and very little helpful instruction or appreciation. You will feel your college tuition is being wasted, at times. You may feel like you're being toyed with psychologically, when she plays "good cop, bad cop."

If you can't avoid this class, don't despair. It can be done, just be careful and try not to take it along with a heavy course-load. Make friends with smart people in your class. Good luck.

If possible, I would have chosen none of the specified "overall ratings" of Kacer's course because there was no option of "suicide considered." Let me be frank here: RUN--like Ben Johnson on steroids--away from this thing called Kacer. If you need to switch majors, do it; If you need to switch universities, do it.

My lucky cohort (aka ARTC/MAE) had "her" for three excruciating, mind altering, hair pulling, name calling (by "her" toward students and by students toward "her"), turn your head and cough, dry heave-inducing sessions the university likes to call courses. If you've seen "Hostel," the movie, then imagine yourself as a lowly curious tourist...Kacer's weapon of choice would simply be, well, herself. In other words (if you haven't seen the movie) Kacer is worse than the most vile torture/killing devices/techniques you can imagine. You get the idea that her course is not a freakin' pleasant venture.

Now, if you noticed, I earned an A in this course (and in SEC 521). I do not use "earned" lightly. My grade took an official WKU course grade protest. I had to write formal letters to Kacer and to the Department head (T. Daniel). My bone of contention was Kacer's rubrics. I had taught for 2 years before encountering Kacer, so, I knew what a rubric was...she still doesn't. Well, it turns out that a threat to go to the Dean and a full backing from another professor in the department saved my hide. My two 58s were turned into "A"s. Moral? NEVER BACK DOWN! People say not to argue with Kacer--had I not done so, I would have failed out of my master's program.

Today, I have an M.A.E. from WKU and if I had known about Kacer I would have switched majors. I am not a slacker (I had a 3.4 graduate GPA and I got an A from Jack Thacker...ask around), which would have been higher except that I had to do every assignment for Kacer THREE times while I took other courses. Ask yourself if you like suffering daily. Ask yourself if you like doing worksheets. Ask yourself if you enjoy re-doing assignments. Ask yourself if you like pulling your own hair out. So, do you get it now? If not, then enjoy the pain! (Not suggested for depressed or suicidal students).

Kacer should be teaching elementary students. She constantly barks at you to use your 12 inch voices, like you didn't give them up when you graduated fifth grade. She is completely unorganized and it is almost impossible to follow what she is saying. Honestly, do not put yourself through this.

I WOULD HAVE RATHER BEEN PUNCHED IN THE FACE DAILY BY A FOUR HUNDRED POUND MAN AND GET A "C" THEN TAKE HER CLASS TO GET MY "B". She dislikes all students but she really HATES: males, people w/ questions, class clowns, and YOU. Do not have an opinon in her class or ask a question because she will ridicule you and refuse to answer any questions. She only answers questions from people she likes (in my case 3 ppl out of 17 in the class). She won't let you raise your hand if you have a question (she calls on ppl randomly from a stack of cards she shuffles). if you don't have a question when she calls on you, she'll wait unitl you think of one and then criticise the question for being quote "dumb" and the say "WILL SOMEONE PLEASE ENLIGHTEN POOR, DUMB TINA B/C SHE HASN'T BEEN PAYING ATTENTION". She has repeadedly VIOLATED STUDENTS' RIGHTS without any repercusions because she has TENURE (although the OTHER PROFS HATE HER TOO). SHE HAS HIT STUDENTS IN THE HEAD, SPRAYED WATER IN THEIR FACE, LOCKED THEM OUT OF CLASS FOR BEING LESS THAN A MIN. LATE, AND VERBALLY BASHED STUDENTS IN FRONT OF THE WHOLE CLASS. She bought off our class by giving us all "B"'s after we organized agianst her in the form of petitons and meetings with dept heads and a threatend one with Randsall. DON'T TAKE HER; you probably won't be as lucky as we were in terms of grade recieved (before us she failed or "C"d most guys) Please don't take the chance with her. SHE HAS CAUSED MULTIPLE PEOPLE I KNOW TO DROP OUT OF EDUCATION ALTOGETHER. She makes assignments then changes the names of them so you think you have three due when it's really only two (one of them will be one you didn't know about; b/c she changes due dates constantly as well). Way too much work and assignments. She litterally BELIEVES that HER CLASS IS YOUR ONLY CLASS!!! She will make you meet her outside of class but then fail to show herself. She will e-mail about class assignments due an hour before class so make sure you don't have a class before hers because you will be constantly making adjustments to her assignments. SHE MADE US DO FIVE DRAFTS PLUS OF MULTIPLE ASSIGNMENTS and then gave no credit for turning them in yet criticized constantly and publicly if you fail to turn one in. HER CLASS WILL COST YOU BIG BUCKS FOR SUPPLIES! HER CLASS WILL MAKE YOU PULL ALL NIGHTERS AT LEAST FIVE TIMES. HER CLASS WILL MAKE YOU ONE OF THE FEW THAT CAN MUTTER "KACER" in TPH then have twenty people instantly come up to comfort you. SHE IS THAT DETRIMENTAL to your MENTAL HEALTH.

I gave her a good rating so you would look at this one, just look at how many negitives she has. PLEASE DON"T TAKE HER unless your into MAKING YOUR LIFE A LIVING HELL.

I have no clue what that class was supposed to be about.

I'm now in my second year of teaching, and I have to say that it's 1000 times easier than dealing with Kacer.

First of all, she was supposed to be teaching SEC 510 and her husband was teaching SEC 511 or something like that, but they just stuck us all in class together and never specified when one class ended and the other began.

After the second week, her husband (Kiraly) disappeared completely, except to occasionally show up and show us one of his new tattoos or make us watch a video on motorcycles (including him rewinding the part with the woman in the bikini leaning on the motorcycle).

and Kacer was in control of everything.

She called me a doofus in class.

She interrupted group work on relevant material to make us look at a printout (mass email forward probably) of a kitten hanging from a tree giving the middle finger.

she yelled at me one day for raising my hand and asking if we could turn on the air conditioner.

she also called me into the hall one day to ask me why i was "fiddling with" a marker. after class, she held me back and said "how would you have dealt with the 'marker incident'?".

one day i made a point not to say anything in class unless i was directly spoken to, and when we took 5 minutes for a break, she told me i should move seats for another student.

here's the best part.

we didn't get our grades for the course for 11 MONTHS.

she kept making us re-do stuff.

i had to meet with her at a HARDEES on a SUNDAY 10 months after the class officially ended to "discuss my work." this will indentify me to her if she ever reads this, but i've waited till the day i graduated to post, so i don't care any more.

there, at hardees, with her creepy husband doing crossword puzzles at another table, we sat, and i watched her attempt to scribble an explanation for my grade on a napkin.

she didn't know which assignments were for her class and which ones were for her husband's class.

several assignments that i had received grades for were missing, and when i asked about them, she repeatedly replied that "those things aren't the issue here."

in the end she had the gall to explain to me that she was "doing me a favor" by meeting me and discussing my grade.

every professor, department head, student and janitor in tate page hall knows this woman is insane, but everyone's afraid to say anything.

try it out. just mention her name to any other professor.

watch their eyes bulge out of their head as they swallow their tongue trying not to tell you the truth about her.

they want to tell you, but they know their own life depends on their silence.

I have NEVER, over 3 and a half years of college life, encountered a professor like Dr. Kacer. Over the course of this semester, I have tried to come up with a list of words that could possibly describe her. Here's what I have so far:

condescending

rude

mean

evil

unhelpful

moody

psychotic

and crazy.

Over the course of this semester, she has struck me TWICE in the shoulder with a stack of papers and told more than one student that, in a few years, they would be "in a home" (I guess the common curriculum now involves physical AND emotional harassment). She excels at giving complicated assignments, then changing the titles of the same assignments in subsequent class periods, so that it appears that you have about 10 different assignments to work on when, in actuality, you probalby have about 3. But hey, who knows with this woman? You may actually have five assignments given to you on a Tuesday, and then be expected to turn them all in on the next class meeting day. Don't bother asking any questions about clarifying the assignment (I'll get to that a little later)--just try your best to read her mind, and you'll do just fine. And also, while my sarcasm is showing, don't bother having a penis in her class--she can tell, and that's why she hates you.

Don't talk, don't make a facial expression, don't think about anything, and ABOVE ALL ELSE, DO NOT, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, RAISE YOUR HAND IN HER CLASS. She'll berate you about how she doesn't like to see hands raised, and then wonder why people don't ask more questions in her class. Oh yeah, the questions! If you actually have a question to ask her, you better hope she draws your name AT RANDOM from a stack of cards, because otherwise, she won't answer you. And even if you are lucky enough to be chosen from her little deck of cards, you probably won't get a straight answer. You'll get, "Did you write it in your notes? No? Will someone else enlighten poor dumb (insert your name here) on when the assignment is due?"

When the class is making too much noise, she'll ring a freaking bell to quiet you down and put her finger over her mouth like she's a kindergarten aide. Gee, last time I checked, I was 21 years old. How about, "Excuse me? May I have your attention?" Because, after all, NORMAL human beings treat each other with respect and courtesy.

This, however, is where Barbara Kacer fails. She is not normal. She is not a good teacher. I must admit, I'm a pretty easy-going guy, and I don't get riled up very easily. But, on more than one occasion, when faced with her constant degrading tone and lack of teaching ability, I have dreamed of pulling my hairs out one by one. How in God's name someone else (maybe even a sentient human being) handed her a diploma and said, "Congratulations, you've graduated," is light-years beyond me. The only credit I can give her is, much like other people on here have mentioned, that you learn the most from her class--in order to be a good teacher, you must perform the exact opposite of every action performed by Dr. Barbara Kacer.

Dr. Kacer, on more than one occasion over the course of the spring 2005 semester, has made fun of students, embarrassed students, asked students to show their assignments to the class, and made sexist comments. Students of Dr. Kacer learn more about how to teach by nonexample: she demonstrates for us how NOT to teach and we know not to do what she does.

Some of her assignments had absolutely nothing to do with the class. The very first thing we had to do was decorate the front of a notebook; this assignment was for a grade. The last thing was to judge "the teacher look." She also made quizzes out of newspaper clippings whenever the fancy struck her. She would photocopy the article and ask us a couple of arbitrary questions. Some of her assignments that actually were pertinent were presented in an excessive way. For example, when writing peer-teach reflections, we were required to include an introduction and conclusion, and when asked what the introduction and conclusion were supposed to include, she said, "Nothing in particular." Another example is that the professional growth plan was required to be turned in in a binder with 17 labeled tabs, one of which had no paper under it and nine of which each had less than half a page of text.

One day, at the beginning of class, she wrote on the board, "What well-known campus figure locked his/her keys in his/her car recently?" She had us write down our guesses and pass them to one of the students to see who got it right. As it turned out, she was taking that opportunity to laugh at the student we passed our papers to. Another day, when I was filling out an evaluation form for another student's peer-teach, she told me that I needed to get up and work the videocamera (each student filmed another student's lesson). I told her that I needed to fill it out right then or else I would forget, and she said to me that I'd be "in a home" by the time I'm 30. I wasn't the only student she said this to.

Students planning to teach at the high school level all have to take SEC 351, and if taken with Dr. Kacer, her methods hinge on ideas that only work with a few subjects. I was planning on teaching foreign language classes before I had her class. Her methods for teaching how to plan lessons, units, and curricula are entirely based on using the Core Content for Assessment and Program of Studies, documents that only exist for arts and humanities, English-language arts, health education, mathematics, physical education, science, and social studies.

She is the most unhelpful teacher I have ever met. When asked for help on an assignment, she usually responded with, "What does the rubric say?" or "What do your notes say?" On the scheduled final exam day, she took questions about the professional growth plan, since it was due in two more days, and blatantly told us that she would not take any more questions after then.

While she is a nice lady, she is a terrible, TERRIBLE teacher. If you're not certain that you want to teach at the high school level, put that plan on hold until you are certain. If you are certain, consider putting it off until you can take SEC 351 with another teacher, or even transferring to another school. Taking Dr. Kacer's class is far from worth it.

If you are ready to change your major definitely take this professor. I personally was totally turned off of secondary Engllish ed. after her. Avoid her at all costs or make sure to get ready for a semester of hell. I mean really people when I see her at Tate Page I still get a little shaky.

People who don't want to work should not take this class. If you work, you will get a good grade. Don't be afraid to ask questions, Dr. Kacer will work with you and explain assignments. Be sure to check your rubric - that's the clue to getting your work done correctly. I thought it was great that we could redo an assignment or paper that wasn't good enough. You will get what you put into this class. Dr. Kacer is different because she is so smart. Go to class, try your best, and you'll do fine.

I had this woman for an entire semester, twice a week, for three hours at a time. NEVER have I wanted to hurt myself or someone else so badly. First, I am male, and that was the first mistake. The second was, having any sort of opinion whatsoever. If you have an opinion, or like yourself, quit now, because by the time you're done, you won't recognize who you are. I currently have 150+ hours of credit, and she is by far the worst professor I've ever encountered or even heard of. I learned absolutely nothing, but that's fine, because until the last two weeks, she asked nothing of us, but to show up. In the last two weeks, we turned in 90% of our assignments, rough draft one day, final the next with no feedback. This is ridiculous. If you can't get out of having her, God help you. She does not help you, no matter how much you ask, and her theories and practices do not work, and even other professors SAY THIS. Get ready for hell.

I know Dr. Kacer is very hard but if you take her then the next education classes and student teaching is so much easier. The work you do is rediculous so take easy classes with this one. You will benefit from the work though. If you take the other teacher you will get an easy "A" but you won't learn anything and it will make the other classes harder. This is the single most important class next to student teaching seminar, so I would take Dr. Kacer and grin and bare it.

The course itself could be easy, but Kacer is the devil. Even when you re do work, she takes her sweet ime grading it. She is very vague in her directions, and very demanding. She thinks her class is the only class you have. She doesn't take into account that you have three or four other classes. She give outrageous assignments, and doesn't have any type of assignement schedule. She is horribly unorganized. The only thing I got out of her class was using the standard documents. AVOID HER AT ALL COSTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

DO NOT TAKE KACER!!! I have never wanted to drop out of school before now. I promise this will be the biggest mistake of your entire life if you take her. She makes everything 100 time harder than it is. She doesn't exlain anything and if you don't have everything exactly like she wants she will tear you apart. I never hated anyone before now. It makes me mad to see her or even hear her voice. I can't truly put into words how horrible she is.

I have been teaching for 4 years. Let me just say that Barbara Kacer has been the worst professor I have ever had! I am making this a moderate rating so people will read it in the middle of all the bad ratings, but I went to a different Graduate school to get away from that woman. You will understand what she was trying to say about a year after you have had her, but the class is needlessly painful!

The problem with Dr. Kacer is that she does not know how to explain things to people in an organized, coherent manner. Yes, the coursework is challenging, and you have to expect that, but Dr. Kacer makes it a million times worse by explaning assignments in the most backward, confusing way possible. Her due-dates for assignments are ridiculously planned. She had things due before she explained how to do them, and she also had a large assignment that included a smaller assignment due before the small assignment itself was due (???!!!). She is also tempermental and can be very rude when she wants to be. I would have prefered a more professional, organized atmosphere....Dr. Kacer = chaos!

I graduated a while ago and am now a teacher. When I had Dr. Kacer I was not a big fan but as I got out into the education world I truly understood what she was trying to do. Having her was tough but I did learn. Many people like profs because they are easy, not based on what you learn. I had some very easy teacher who I loved but I did not learn. YOU ARE IN COLLEGE TO LEARN NOT TO SLACK OFF. If you want to be an effective teacher when you get out take Dr. Kacer.

This class was a difficult class, but I learned alot from Dr. Kacer. Everything she has taught me I have been able to use in my other classes. It is a lot of work, but worth it in the end. She is a really good teacher who does mean well.

This class is a hard class, but the class in general is supposed to be difficult. I thought that Dr. Kacer was a very kind, and humorous teacher. Education classes are all, I repeat all, very stressful because of the amount of work due. No, most of the things done in education classes won't pertain to real teaching, but that goes with every education class. As a teacher, Dr. Kacer, in my opinion did a good job. Don't take this class if you aren't serious about being a teacher. Being a teacher takes hard work and dedication, so it's no wonder this class does too. If you can't handle the course load then maybe you should rethink your career choice. Good job Dr. Kacer, keep up the good work!!!

Good lord, where to start...AVOID AT ALL COSTS. Kacer has absolutly no idea how to teach. It seems that the secondary ed. dept. is providing its students with an example of how NOT to teach by letting her stay on staff here. If not that, then i honestly have no idea how she has not been let go yet. I have never given a bad evaluation to a professor before, but something has got to be done about her, she's condisending, arrogant, ill mannered, short tempered and an overall joke as a professor. When you go to see her in her office to ask for help, she berates you, then openly wonders why more students dont come by. If your signed up for this class or plan on taking it; God bless, you'll need it.

When you see 100% sad faces for Dr. Kacer's criticiques - it means something! She is without a doubt, the worst instructor I have ever experienced. If there is ANY possible way you can complete your degree program and bypass her, you should! I'm serious, she is a nightmare. I don't have the space here to interpret all of her problems - just please take my advice, and stay away!!! If you think you may want to teach - her class will be enough to make you change your mind. So if you're serious about the profession - take another route.

If you want added stress, take this class. Dr. Kacer is sarcastic and makes assignments so much more difficult than she means them to be.

This was the most stressful course a person will take in their educational career. She is not helpful in anyway (have to make an appointment to talk with her). She is rude and very moody. Some days she likes you some days she doesn't. I used to think she hated me until all the students in the class felt the same way. She wants all the assignments to be exactly what she is wanting, but the problem is she doesn't tell you how that is until the day it is due or when you get it back(but don't ask to do it again). I do not recommend taking her class, but if you do don't talk unless she feels like letting you talk (oh yea, don't even smile unless she wants you to).

In my opinion Dr. Kacer should only teacher grad level and above. Her teaching style is condescending and basically downgrading to her students. Surely someday WKU will take students evaluations seriously and reevaluate the SEC department. I withdrew from this course after an honest attempt for one month, registered with another prof and recieved an A and alot of useful knowledge.

This class was not that hard, but you will never know what Kacer is wanting from you. She will change the assignment so many times until you are ready to pull your hair out. As a top education school in this area, it is hard to believe they employee a teacher like her in their education department. If you are in her class, SHOOT YOURSELF NOW! I have never left a class feeling so bad about myself until her class. She is totally demeaning to students. It is hard to believe she ever taught in a high school classroom.

If anyone ever asks me the worst experience I have ever had in my life it would be taking this class. I am a non traditional student who has had many many many professors and many many many classes and this is by far the worst experience I have ever encountered in my entire life. I have never taken a class that made me physically ill and when I left the class I felt frustrated, bewildered and in a state of dissbelief. I would have driven to Florida to have taken another teacher but because of the KERA requirements where could I go. Hell would have to be better than this class. If you are forced to take this class I would pray for you but this will be your cross to bear and you will bleed walking up the hill. I guarantee you after this class is over you will have continuous nightmares and it will be something you will never forget. Do not waste your time going to the dean or posting a bad evaluation because trust me, that is useless because she has tenure and unless she physically abuses someone in class she is there until death do us part. GOD HELP US ALL.

She has serious issues... is she tenured? I cannot believe she is a college professor. She made the course difficult to follow, I still do not understand what some of her points were. I honestly learned more by observing her. She is the model for ineffective teaching style and how to unmotivate students. She has favorites, and she seems to have a lot of resentment against men? Good luck, I am glad she is behind me.

She is very tough to understand. very confusing. I did not do very well on her two tests. This was the first time she had taught an EDU 250, go figure!!! if you can, dont take her

A genuine NUT! She is an embarassment to the University and to those who educate teachers. Her course was difficult because it was pointless. Her purpose, goals, and objectives were nonexistent. Confusing and meaningless lectures where students were responsible for teaching themselves. A COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME! Thinking about being a teacher? She will change your mind... take her first! It is scary to think she is professor responsible for training teachers. RUN!!!

This class was very bias toward males and often singled out students. The assignments make NO sence and are returned to you to redo until they are a horible mess. This teacher does not expand knowlegde, she hinders it. The portfolio and finall exam are the worst I have ever seen. Stay Away!!!!!

If you never want to sleep again take Dr. Kacer. Not only will you have nightmares, you will also spend all your nights composing meaningless busywork. If you take her class be ready to REFLECT over both her assignments and your decision to take such a useless class. All I can say is "I pity the fool" who takes this course.

Dr. Kacer is the worst teacher I have ever had in my college career. I don't recommend that anyone sign up for her class, if you can help it. She is rude, and has no concept of how to teach in a way that students can understand. I left her class everyday more confused than I was when I got there.

It is a mystery to me why Dr. Kacer is still teaching at Western. I know for a fact that she gets horrible evaluations every year, and there are usually a few students who go to the dean about her at the end of each semester. Her assignments are vague, she is confrontational (except to her pets), and she is, overall, not effective as a teacher. She turns moderately difficult material into nuclear physics. I think she means well and she knows the subject matter throughly, but she doesn't know how to present it to a classroom of students. I learned more examples of how not to teach than how to teach. I hate to slam anyone or put anyone in danger of losing his/her job, but something needs to be done about her. Why is WKU taking any action?

In theory you should be able to use you assignments when you get a job, not in Dr. Kacer's class. Her assignments have no educational value and are a waste of time. Her final exam project is the worst nightmare I've ever seen. You have to highlight a bunch of different stuff on your lesson plans. It was very time-consuming and had NO value. If you can arrange it-- do NOT take her for a class. If you must--I'll pray for you.

Five syllabus' in one semester. Biased grading..sexist. Very SELF appointed..excepts no compliment from males.(VERY UNFAIR REPRESENTATION OF STRUDENT LEARNING ABILITY!!)Take someone else or transfer!!