Tom Read - Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA

Professor: Tom Read

Department: Mathematics

College: Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: 303
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Read is the man when it comes to D. EQ. Can answer any question! His textbooks are also so useful! Wordy but they usually are like a lecture themselves and full of examples. Plus his classes seem to cover more than the 204331

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: MATH138
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Very knowledgeable about the subject; will push your understanding of single variable calculus much farther than any other instructor. Falls short in the sense that he can be hard to understand, and tends to mumble into the board while working out solutions. A great professor to have if you feel like you already know the material well.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: MATH224
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

He seems like a really smart guy! Unfortunately he is a terrible teacher. Lectures will consist of him mumbling out random facts about the chapter and then going off on mathematical tangents that have nothing to do with the course material. This guy is BORING.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: MATH203
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Tom Read gives the most beautiful curve you will ever see in your life. With that said the class is hard. He tends to teach more of the concept then the actual arithmetic. I felt like this was the first math class where I actually learned how to problem solve. Instead of the usual copy and paste technique I was used to being taught.

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: MATH138
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Tom Read is brilliant when it comes to understanding complex problems, but conveying his understanding is where he lacks. The text he wrote was beautifully written, but his tests are so abstract that just doing the homework and participating in class is not enough to do well on tests. The class was interesting, but too much of a crash course.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: 41127
• Grade Received: B+
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

I hate to give Prof. Read such a low rating because he is so sweet and tries so hard to be of help. Was available daily for office hours and made full use of Canvas to supply us with extremely helpful resources, which were unfortunately necessary due to his teaching style. The textbook (which he authored) made more sense than he did in class.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: MATH224
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

PLEASE DO NOT TAKE MATH WITH THIS PROFESSOR. He is by far the worst professor on campus. He lectures right out of the book, but his tests are word problems that you have no practice with. No matter how much you study, you will not be prepared for his exams. When he answers questions, he will do the problem without any explanation of what he did.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: MATH138
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Tom Read is a great professor for somebody who already knows everything.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: MATH224203303
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He treats all students like they are still in high school. I found that for linear algebra his tests used a lot of vocabulary he didn't teach us, for example the very first 203 test asked us to find the null space of a matrix which had not been reviewed in class or in the HW. I have learned less from him than any other math teacher I've had.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: MATH224
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Tom Read was definitely the worst professor I have ever had. His lectures are unclear and he skips many steps when answering questions. He cannot look anyone in the eyes and mumbles a lot. When he grades, he takes off more than a proportional amount of points. Math is my thing and this class was a nightmare. Avoid this professor.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: MATH303
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Everyone is saying how nice this guy is. Well, great for him. If there is an alternative class to take (talking to Physics majors here primarily) I would highly recommend you go that route. By far the worst, most harrowing experience I have had at WWU, and I can't say I gained much from his classes except some people aren't worth the time/effort

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: MATH138
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

While he's a nice guy his lectures are dull and he often mutters into the board as he does math, the questions range from so easy they aren't worth doing to so hard you don't know where to start. He does have a generous curve, but after taking AP calc and getting a 4 and 5 on the tests, i ended up with a B in the class, on stuff i already knew.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: MATH432
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I just took him for a year long. I had him for math 203,303, and 432. Yes his teaching at first is a shock and does take some adjusting to get used to. He doesn't just make things "step by step" and really wants students to figure things out on his own. At first I thought his written textbooks were bad but I really like them now.He is a fair grader

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: MATH224
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I overall really disliked this class. I love math and I passed the AP BC test with a 4. He types his own text book which you can't learn from, there are no examples and he doesn't really teach anything. I felt like I learned nothing, and the tutors at the math center couldn't figure out my homework. Only take if you want an impossible challenge

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: MATH138
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 2.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Nice, sweet old Scottish man. Makes his own textbook, which would be fine but there's no answers in the back. I got a 5 on the AP calc AB test and i was relieved to pass this class with a C+. Class is spent learning what the homework is about, since the day before we learned about what yesterday's homework was about.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: MATH138
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Spends most of each lecture focusing on the homework and any questions people have. He emphasizes problem solving strategies over memorizing many monotonous formulas. I feel like I learned a lot. He offered many extra credit opportunities. I still pulled an A without any of these, but your mileage may vary. It was by no means an easy class.

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: MATH138
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Really nice teacher, will try to help you but sometimes he just doesn't explain things fully. Tests are generally a shock when you get them, but overall most of the class does well. Very generous with extra credit. Relies on his textbook, which is full of typos, a lot. Overall good though.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: MATH138
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I always excelled in high school Math, but once I took his class I lost faith in my capabilities completely. He is an incredibly kind man who cares a lot, but it was not for me. I learned a ton, but his class is no GPA booster!

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: MATH224
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He's really nice and tries to accommodate his students. His teaching style is answering homework questions but surprisingly helpful. Overall he is not hard but one learns the material.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: MATH138
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Not a bad teacher if math is easy for you, but if it's not your forte, you might want to steer clear. He usually spends the whole class period reviewing the homework, so new material isn't covered very much.