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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.
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Multiple Choice
Essay