Margret Thompson

teacher is horrible. unprofessional, racist, and just a miserable woman who probably was made fun of all her life. she's ignorant, makes lame jokes, and makes the class unbearable. what i didn't understand is how she teaches business communication but doesn't know how to speak in front of the class in a professional manner. she doesn't make good eye contact, makes funny faces when she doesn't like a part of your speech. she grades unfair. one time you get an A, next time she'll give you a D on a paper that is very similar. DO NOT TAKE HER!

I clawed my way into this class at the beginning of the semester trying to add (I wish I had known then what I know now!). I was the first to laugh at her stupid, dry jokes and I enjoyed going to class the first two weeks. Then the jokes got old, there are only so many times you can hear about how Bush is horrible, the war is a waste, the California Governor is a meathead. Once the jokes got old, they got annoying real quick. It became really unprofessional, almost attacking students in the class that were known vets or of a different political viewpoint. Now, I am not the person to argue with that Bush is unintelligent, because I completely agree that he is; however, I don't care to hear about it over and over and over again in class. Some of the things she said were so shocking that some students began to write a list of the horrible things she would say. Some examples include "Doesn't Bush have an MBA? Yah, I think he does. Isn't it from Yale or something like that.... And look how great he is running the country!" "Las Vegas should be burned to the ground." And my all time favorite, when a student was translating a word in Arabic for her (Marhaba meaning hello) she said "mamswnqonawne.... HAHAHAHA that sounds like baklava HAHAHA!" When a student confronted her about her unprofessionalism and unnecessary comments about Bush, her only response was "For all you know I could be Republican!" This clearly shows that there is no other ways to describe her but a RUDE, RACIST, UNPROFESSIONAL, UNHAPPY HYPOCRATE. Her grading is ridiculous; in fact, the class started with about 34 students and now is down to about 22. People either couldn't stand her, were failing, or both! Thompson really should not be teaching after all the complaints that have been brought fourth to the head of the department and the dean. I know of more then 10 students in that class that are planning to petition a complaint letter, hopefully she wont be at SFSU making students lives miserable that much longer. Please for the sake of your sanity; do not take this horrible class! ***TIP*** God forbid you must take this devil of a teacher, at least take it for credit/no credit, TRUST ME

After reading some of these reviews I was shocked at how one dimensional they seemed.

There are a lot of statements that read like: "She's good! She's bad!"

Nothing can be learned about some ones character and teaching ability with such shallow observations. A good review dissects, and informs the reader about the object.

My first day in Thompson's class, I noticed how edgy she seemed. Her general attitude was negative and she was constantly shouting and fidgeting at all of us. What I found most remarkable was how little attention she paid to her own actions. She had a bad habit of asking us rhetorical questions which made the class feel like we were being talked down to. This was also a way for her to get a false check from the class because subconsciously she knew she was losing us.

Often times her rhetorical questions would be met with silence. Eventually she would grow wrathful and say something inflammatory to the class. Some of us would act shocked because we thought her rhetorical question was her way of thinking out loud. Eventually we realized that she expected answers to these questions. Sometimes other's would shout back and make fun of her, and being that she was so out of touch she would grow even angrier.

We would just laugh it off after class. It was just fun and games after all - until we started getting our grades back.

Thompson has a reputation on campus for being a harsh grader. Normally a few people per assignment get low grades, but in her class the problem affected everyone, every time. Almost all assignment had the same results: The students were upset, and confused about their grades. This often led to many arguments with her after class.

Eventually, in an attempt to help us she issued more handouts to explain what she expected on the assignments.

None of these seemed to help though, and I and others went through a period of self doubt.

"Perhaps we are being spoiled." "Maybe we just need to push a little harder."

Taking our own advice many of us tried harder, but our grades still didn't make sense. Sometimes we would receive an A, and other times we would receive a D. Often this was the case on very similar assignments.

The confusion about her grading led to a lot of analysis on the topic and cross checking of the assignment sheets but to no avail.

Fascinated I began to pay closer attention to her lectures. I noticed she had a habit of stating what was on her assignment sheets. This was done verbatim.

Mind you that she often spent most of the class doing this because her assignment sheets are pages and pages long - most double sided. If you can imagine someone reading off an instruction manual and expecting you to put it all together without examples, and proper synthesis you will have a glimpse of what her class is like.

Her talk style was so rapid because she was constantly trying to be perfect, and when the class would eventually condemn her she would grow angry and generate more details on the assignments which would only further confuse everyone.

She couldn't yield enough to leave space for all of us to grow and to respect her. Without these vital ingredients our minds shut off and we went to war with her.

Of course it was a losing battle because she was the gate keeper to the next class in the bloc.

Although most of us made it through because we went over her head and talked to the dean. This scared her enough to loosen up a little bit, but it wasn't genuine. It was another act - similar in nature to what spurred her to create more detailed assignment sheets.

The biggest problem with her teaching style was that her ability to explain and synthesize her ideas did not match the expectations she had of her students.

In other words she wasn't up to her own standards. She's was being a hypocrite. And worst of all she wasnt aware of it.

She probably had some warped view that if she only created even more detailed assignment sheets, and ask fewer rhetorical questions, that it would make her students love her.

Sadly that wasnt the point, and I doubt she will ever understand the real problem.

Psychological problems that are this deeply rooted can take years to overcome, and in the meantime her students will all have to suffer needlessly.

Another interesting note is that we were not given a chance to complete a teacher evaluation at the end of the course.

Someone told me that they didnt bother because so many complaints had been made against her, or perhaps clever maneuvering on her part sidestepped this. Who can tell.

In the end I cant recommend this teacher to anyone. Honestly, I will always remember her as the worst teacher Ive had at San Francisco State.

she thinks she's fair, but NOT! The work load is far too much in the middle and at the end. 1st half of semester is waste of time, then slammed the rest of the way. you are biased ms. thompson! example- my speech was presented in between an A student and an F student. so i got a D- and it screwed me the rest of my semester. its like any other judging! dont go after an A student or you'll get Slammed!!! go after an average student and you'll get judged fairly. there was a guy who didn't even complete his speech the first time and presented at a later date and got an A? WTF? thats not biased? and yea the ESL students get a free ride! thats bullcrap! i brushed her off politely when she tried to chit chat with me, ( i had serious concerns about my papers) and after that, i got in the dog house the rest of the semester. so yeah there are favorites, its bullcrap, every professor does it. i'm not alone either, plenty of others in my class agreed with me but couldn't say anything because they'd be in the dog house too! for the last group speech, i was placed in a group with the weakest speakers from the class, wtf is that? thats not intentional? if shes as astute as you posters say, wouldn't that be an uncharacteristic oversight? it's funny when posters say " its real business learning blah blah..." thats bullcrap! whole semester to learn what can be taught in a seminar here and there. nothing VITAL! those of us out in the PRIVATE CORPORATIONS know most of the junk in school we'll never see again. its only these power tripping professors who cry the sky is falling if you dont remember every little thing.

all you people that recommend her? are you nuts? as every one who mentioned a flattering remark, you have to be in good graces with her. or be an ESL student. otherwise its unfair grading the whole semester. everyone PRETENDS to have interest and fun in her class just to PASS. note to people stuck in her class, be patient and ask around for old papers and such. you'll need all the help you can get. or stay under her radar and get the class over with. dont bother arguing with her. she's a tyrant. all the posters here admit she grades harder than necessary and often subjectively.

****bit tip*** the 1st persuavsive speech should be worked on and practiced as early as possible because its a lot harder than it looks. next, ask for the grade ASAP! if its too low (below a B+) work on it and DO IT AGAIN! there will be some spots later in the weeks to do it again.

its utter bullcrap that the posters giving her an A say " follow directions, blah blah..." thats not the whole of it. the mark of a great professor is one that helps the students he/she dislikes, because of PROFESSIONLISM . so many public workers crap on their customers. for no good reason besides being jaded.

if you can avoid her , do so. but as we all know, there aren't enough classes to go around to begin with.

It's true, she's not an easy grader. She is very anal about homework assignments and presentations. HOWEVER, if you show a genuine interest in what she has to teach you, you'll do fine (if you don't have a genuine interest in what she has to say, fake it). Go to her office hours, she's more than happy to lay out what your presentation should be like. If you follow her guidelines, you can't go wrong. Plus, if she recognizes you enough, she starts to like you and she favors the students she likes (and it shows). So suck up. Laugh at her jokes. Make nice with Ms. Thompson. She's really not a bad person. She's just real strict about what she expects from her COLLEGE students.

Her Class: - six or seven small quizzes throughout the semester on handouts and reading she assigns (not too intense, very short 10 question quizzes, some fill in the blank, some multiple choice) - 1 five-minute presentation - 1 twelve-minute presentation - 1 group presentation with powerpoint slides - six or seven homework assignments (some with group members, some individually)

She's really not as bad as everyone makes her out to be. But if you want an "A," you better be willing to work your butt off.

Ms. Thompson is an excellent teacher! Im not sure why so many people gave her negative reviews. She is probably one of the few dedicated and hard-working teachers at SFSU. I still remember that she held 3 hours of office hours during our speech #2 (persuasive speech) she didnt have to stay 3 hours after a long day but she did it because she truly cares about her students. No matter what your speech topic is, if you go to her for help you will benefit from her expertise. Ms. Thompson will help you fine tune your delivery outline so that you will be able to deliver an effective speech. The workload in the class is very manageable. She gave us a WEEK to write one letter (1 - 2 pages) I believe that is a very generous amount of time. As long as you follow all the directions in her handout, you will be able to get a good grade on the assignments. However, it is also recommended that you pay a visit to the tutoring center in HSS building and run your essay by a tutoring prior to submitting the final draft. If you dont do any of the assignments and do really bad on the speeches you will crash and burn (kind of like driving a GEO Metro the quality is so bad that they are engineered to fail.) But if youre focused and committed in doing assignments and speeches you will do well in the class. Ms. Thompson also has a wonderful personality! She is quite open to the views of her students. She is a very warm and caring teacher that has a passion to help her students succeed in her class. I would recommend her to all my friends that will be taking BUS 360.

if you take her, expect A LOT of work... but she actually helps you learn how to communicate in the business world! i admit, her class was tough & stressful as hell, but you'll walk out of it learning things you'd need when you go to the real business world!

When I first took Miss Thompson's class, I was kinda scared because of all the bad reviews she had, but Miss Thompson is a really great teacher!!! If you follow all her instructions, you'll get an A. In your speeches, you have to add lots of statistics, quotes, etc. from reliable sources. And the big business memo we had to write was kinda hard. And it was worth 20% of our grade. Even though I got a C+ in that memo, I still ended up with an A-!!!!!! Don't take Prof. Small!! Take Thompson!!

Ms. Thompson was VERY intimidating at first. As the semester continued, she wasn't that bad at all. She wants her students to do well and to do so it's important that you pay close attention to her directions. Her class was very straightforward and because she's very clear on what she expects in your assignments, it's VERY important that you follow each guideline that SHE establishes these assignments. She grades each assignment and makes sure that you followed each and everyone of her guidelines.

Her class consisted of: -3 speeches ( 2 individual and 1 group) -one memo -some group work.

The class isn't that bad at all, just as long as you actively participate in class...after all it's a communication class and you can't expect a "good" grade in a communications class if you just sit in your seat passively. I rarely speak in any class but because she presented lots of interesting business topics, she motivates her students to speak about it.

I highly recommend her to any student who wants to learn effective communication skills in and out of the business world. You'll get your money's worth and leave the class with quality communication skills.

She was my first female professor at State...what a great dissappointment! I expected a professional, but received a very immature woman. I found her unapproachable, distant, and cold. Perhaps she is unaware of her facial expressions and the fact that she rolls her eyes , but these are fairly common occurances in her class. (and yet she wonders why there isn't more participation...)

She is a very hard grader, almost unfair. She uses one project (memo) to prevent "good, solid students" from getting an A in her class. She grades the memo very subjectively...

She gives way too many handouts. The speeches are fine, but the projects are a waste of time. If you have any English skills you will find this class boring. She tends to cater to ESL students, using different standards to judge native speakers and ESL...but at this level in our education, if we are in the same class we should be judged by the same standard.

If you need to see her in her office hours, and she is busy, she will let you know how much of a bother you are with her obvious body language. Perhaps, she never really "wanted" to teach...perhaps, this is the only job she could find...it seems that way with her "attitude"

If you can take this class from another professor, i suggest it. Unless you like to be infantilized by an immature "professor." If you are a hard-working, serious student, she will not appreciate your efforts, and i seriously recommend you not take her BUS 360 class!

The beginning of the semester was pretty unfriendly and nerve wrecking. She's straight-forward about what she wants in class and how she wants the stuff being turned in done. When she gives an assignment, remember one thing, MAKE SURE THAT YOU FOLLOW AND DO EVERY WORD that she says on her handouts. She's very detailed and she knows what she wants to see on the HWs and the projects. Little mistakes could cost you big time. Despite all these, Ms. Thompson is a very understanding and nice professor. She's very professional and very hard working. She wants her students to work hard for their grade; and that means, going to her office hours for help on assignments. She knows when her students are taking her class for granted. Believe me, this class is easy if you work hard for it. Oh and one more thing, she gives out lots of handouts! And as for her quizzes, read the book!

well, Miss Thompson always trys to give ESL students as much help as she could. however, she doesn't grade fairly. I got a C in her class, but i saw alot of students who didn't do as good as me also got a C, so overall, she is not a fair grader. however, she wouldn't fail you if you do all the work. however, if you want to learn, i suggest you to take her class because i learn alot from her even though i didn't get the grade that i want it. she really teaches you something about the real work place.

She is one of the Best Profeesor in SFSU. Take with her. I am sure You won't regret. Ther is lots of work of she make it very easier. Just a little bit hard on Quizzes but it my fault i didn't study that hard. Grade- preety fair

racis teacher against fobs, only support americians and middle eastern people,(example, non virgin fedi)

grading is extremely hard.

don't take this class

I clearly recall the first day of class, I was honestly intimidated. Her previous students, she admitted, described her as the derrogatory slang many of us freely use today (it rhymes with itch). At first, I thought she was going to live up to that role, but after the first few weeks I realized that she is a KIND, CONSIDERATE woman. She's everything a good teacher should be, she's very generous in her feedbacks, she truly guides you through the JEPET, her quizes keep you on your toes, and she emails regular reminders. She is courteous, lenient with homework extentions, and her lectures were very helpful. One thing I would have wanted to see her improve though is her tone of voice. It's not quite monotone, but it lacks the inner fire I know she posseses. Lastly, do be prepared for a rigorous course because she makes you run for your money.

I must admit that this class was very time consuming. There were at least five quizzes but all were very easy. The questions are all based on the textbook readings, materials covered in class, and the handouts she gives out in class. She normally would tell you what readings you should foucus on when studying for your quizzes.

There is no final for the class but there is a 3-5 page memo report you will need to do in the first half of the semester along with 2-3 other short group assignments. Professor Thompson grades very hard on the memo because she expects every one in class should have college level writing skills so make sure you get the memo revised. She also is very strict on the sources you used for your memo so make sure you know how to cite sources correctly.

The second half of the semester is comprised of speeches. There are two short individual speeches and one group speech. I think the group speech is the most difficult so be sure to practice practice practice.

Overall the class was very challenging and educational. Professor Thompson's cool attitude makes it very easy for me to appraoch her. She was very helpful with me when I needed help on the speeches. Her pleasant personality is also what makes me attended her classes.

Professor Thompson, What can i say about her? Well she is one of the best english teacher i have ever taken and she is also one of the best instructors i have came accross. Her class is fun and intresting at the same time. She only gives about four to five quizzes which are basically on the lectures and readings. There short quizzes only take you max of 15 minutes. You have 5 essay to write in the semster. Two are JEPET essay which you have one re-write on the frist jepet and you have one reseach paper. The the last two essay deal witht he play death of salesman. There is no final exam and she explains the material well so you know what is involved. There hardly any homework besdies reading. I recommed you take her if you want a fun and intresting class.

When I attended the first class I thought I was in for a long semester, but Ms. Thompson's snappy sense of humor and kind nature showed up around the third class meeting. She always made herself available to the students in the class and even cancelled class in lieu of office hours for students to work on their paper with her. Her grading did seem a bit harsh as she only gave out a small handful of A- and nothing higher. I would recommend Ms. Thompson if you want a greater understanding of the English language with a business twist!

Professor Thompson is truly a great instructor with a good heart. When I first took this class I was really worried that oh shit what did I get myself into. But Professor Thompson made this business communication class fun with her good sense of humor. Her grading I must admit is a bit harsh because she has somewhat high standards but if you do the work and show constant improvement she will award you with a higher grade. I liked her a lot as an instructor and would definitely recommend her to my friends too.