I just realized my chemistry teacher wrote my chemistry textbook.

[lightningandsnow]

Weird, huh?

I mean, I knew someone wrote those, I just didn't expect my teacher to use what he wrote and not say anything about it.

[KitchenWitch]

1. Wait until you get to University.

You will pay $136 for a textbook that has only 250 pages, which was written by your professor. And you will have to buy the brand new 6th edition of said textbook, even though the 5th edition (which is available for 20 buckos as a Used book) is virtually identical to the newer 6th edition with the exception of two words in chapter 7.

:banghead:

[Rhythm]

2. WVU has a clause in prof's contracts that prevents them from profiting from WVU student purchases

I've had 4 classes thus far wherein the professor authored the textbook; only one of them actually explained the University's policy of non=profiteering to us, lest we think he was just gouging us. I think the 300 people in that Journalism 101 class really appreciated him taking the time to do so, especially since we are likely to encounter that again and again throughout college.

[northzax]

6. heck, if my professor wrote a relevant textbook

I would be really annoyed if she used someone else's, right? it's tantamount to saying "hey, I wrote this book, but it kinda sucks, even I use someone else's" makes you feel sorry for whoever is suckered into buying your professor's book that even the author won't teach, right?

[MountainLaurel]

13. Which prof was it?

If I might ask. In the time (15+ years!) since I was there, the J-School faculty has switched around a good bit.

How's your dead week going?

:hug:

[6000eliot]

4. I can tell you from experience that the teacher/author doesn't see that money.

At least I didn't.

[DS1]

11. Just about all my professors spent numerous hours photocopying the relevant bits from books

and giving them to us, because they knew we were all broke in the first place.

[Rhythm]

3. Gotta love that...

it's comforting to know that your teacher is expert enough in his field to author a textbook.
I never had that experience in high school, but it's happened a few times in college.

[Hayabusa]

5. Is it just me

or is a professor teaching from his or her own textbook a little egotistical?

[Rhythm]

7. I don't think it does

To be able to write a book from which others can teach a subject is laudible, but for the instructor who wrote it, i usually serves as an outline for the lectures. There's a ton of information in the books i've used in author-taught classes, but there was so much more that they shared with us.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

9. It means you've got all your class notes in one place.

Instead of having to make hundreds of xeroxes for your students year after year.

[nomorenomore08]

8. A friend of mine took a college class on Freud, taught by a guy who'd translated a collection

of Freud's writings. My friend said the guy was an insufferable know-it-all, and not in a good way.

[hunter]

10. In my experience that was often a good thing.

You have a question about the text? Yeah, you go ask the author!

Or even better for a crazy person like me, argue about something in the book you disagree with.

(Some professors will give you a higher grade for that, some a lower, and some will talk privately to the dean about that very strange kid in their class...)

[Pierre.Suave]

12. It happens a lot

especially in college.