1.9
Quality4.6
DifficultyN/A
Would Retake83
ReviewsN/A
Would Retake
83
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
3
4
8
3
12
2
19
1
41
What Students Say
“i never received a passing grade on any assignments”
ENG1B - 1.0 rating“Do not take any courses from this professor”
ENGL46 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
0%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.39 avg changeRatings by Course
ENGB1
4.0
(1)ENG46
4.0
(1)ENGL4779
4.0
(1)ENG1A46
3.0
(1)ENGLISH100
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
ENG1A46
5.0
ENG15
5.0
ENGLISH1B
5.0
ENG5
5.0
ENGLISH5
5.0
Reviews (83)
i loved this teacher. she spent hours helping me pass her class and it really helped all of my classes. i am so much better in Engl. she's also funny and chooses really good things to read. take her classes. she's a great teacher.
Well meaning, knowledgeable, articulate. Nice woman. But lets idiot students who don't shut up teach the class. Class periods often result in agony.
I really struggled with this class because she was difficult without reason. I didn't learn anything new in that class, but she graded by insane and unexplained standards. To me she was a poor english teacher at best. NOT recommended.
She's strict and grades hard yet has no explainable reasons why she gives the grades she does. She chooses favorites, and if you kiss her butt then you'll have an easier time. I suggest getting a new teacher if you get her.
The only way to get a good grade in her class is to talk about your paper with her first so that she can tell you your opinion is not good and to write about her opinions because those are the only ones that will get the grade. worst english teacher ever!
This woman is insane. You call her numerous times, she will never call you back. She has no reasoning for ANYTHING. If you don't see her opinion, you are wrong. And it will reflect in your grade. Her expectations are far and vague.
She needs to go back to the East Coast where she clearly wants to be.She's harsh,abrasive and unnecessarily critical.She belittles people, gives no clear guidance and seems to enjoy picking apart assignments and tests so she can grade you down.As much work in this class as 5 others.Kiss ass or fail.
she talks down to everyone and makes you feel stupid. her opinions are the only rights ones and she will tell you so. harsh grader with no explanation why you got a low grade. loves to tear apart your essays. she obvisouly hates california so she should just pack up and leave. shes stupid.
Worst teacher I have ever encountered. Agonizing lectures, incredibly biased; it's as though she strives to ensure that you do not succeed.
This teacher is a retard! She can never explain her grading, she acts better than everyone else, and she needs to cut her hair so it's not in the way of her face!
Heres what do to when you go to the first day of class. Turn around, and Run. Run as far away from her as you can, and drop the class. Postpone your transfer if you have to! Stay away at all costs
I hope the administration could do a review of this instructor. She is destroying the future of a lot of students by her teaching. Enjoys to see students fail. Class sessions are disorganized. Even if this is the last class open during registration, please don't take her class. She is terrible.
If you are looking for a class were students get D grades, this is the right class for you.
No Comments
No Comments
No Comments
No Comments
DO NOT TAKE THIS TEACHER. On an essay midterm (subjectively graded), 3/4 of the class got C or lower, and only 1 A was given out. She is disorganized and accomplishes nothing in class. Only likes to hear her opinion regurgitated back at her. PLEASE DO NOT TAKE HER FOR ANYTHING.
No Comments
I am a straight A student and all I could get was a C. I've never worked so hard in any of my other classes. I did not deserve this grade for the amount of work I did.
No Comments
No Comments
Teachers like Duckworth should be annhilated! She did not teach a single thing in respect to english all semester; all she did was blab on and on about pieces of literature, and when it came to grade papers she unfiarly gave students Fs! This was supposed to be an advanced composition class where i thought my writing skills were going to be impro
Wonderful teacher. She gives you plenty of one on one time and is very clear about what she expects. I got a high B in the class and didn't put in any more than 5 hours on each essay (4 total)
She is a tough teacher, there's no doubt about that. There are 4 extensive essays(at least 2 drafts for each essay),lots of reading,and some busy work every other day. Despite the work, she is very precise/clear with what she expects(no confusion) and she gives you a lot of really helpful feedback.She will make you a better writer
Not willing to teach. She is a very intelligent person, but a feminist to the cold core.
Very orgasssmatttticccc about english, hard to understand what she wants.
Boring teacher, hard grader, very uninteresting
No Comments
This woman was nearly impossible. She drew stuff from the readings and expected you to write about her abstract views. No real instruction for better writing/english skills. Take someone else if you can.
EXTREMELY difficult grader, her way or the highway. Not recommended.
duck**** sucks! I am a A-B student and she gave me a C. She is not open minded... and grades according to her opinion and not quality of work. if you value your GPA don't take her.
you will quickly find out that everything u say is wrong, and only she is write; and in her opinion, there are incorrect interpretations of literature, which cant make sense because that is why they are interpretations, and she hasnt learned how to give a fair grade
She expects what you can give and is tough but not overly so. I like that she sits down individually with students every time there is a new essay, to discuss how they are doing with it and to help get around any writer's block
grammer nazi! shes really nice and is willing to help but it is almost impossible to get a A and B is difficult. Some people in the class thought my essays were worth at least a B and she gave me a D. If you make one mistake it grammatically screws up your whole essay.
No Comments
first half of the class is a course in socialism, the other half on feminism. if i wanted to take a survey in liberal socialogy i would have enrolled in one, but i enrolled in english. at least accept that not all of us are(coming from a black, female, from the east bay), socialist feminist, and respect that, don't drop people entire letter grades.
The most disorganized teacher I have ever met in my life. I learned nothing. She is a grammer NAZI. Never, Ever take her class. She may be knowledgeable about grammer, but her teaching skills are the worst. EVIL EVIL EVIL.
Never in my life have I had a teacher with expectations of her students so far exceeding her capabilities. She was consistently late. She handed us grading guidelines 10min before the first major essay was due. She provided no exercises to help us learn basic concepts.I personally heard her mention that she drinks wine while grading. Run away!
I have never before had a teacher that took points off of a test for not answering a question that she didn't even ask. She is, i agree, a grammar nazi, yes, and has very feminist views, which are alright, except when they are forced on others (and i am female, by the way). She dropped me an entire letter grade for disagreeing with her on an essay.
She's a terrible teacher. Never before have I experienced harsher essay grading tactics, and never before have I taken more unreasonable grammer tests. She often uses her own writing for examples, which is somewhat amusing, given the fact that she lacks much writing skill at all. It's a terrible class.
I am an A student and English just happens to be my expertise. I got a C. She later told me that I deserved a much higher grade and said, “I hope you’re not upset.” Gee, when you tell a student that…Anyway, stay away from this teacher. Never have I been so disappointed with English, now I know why some people hate the subject.
If you want a challenge then take this teacher. She is available for help if you need it, but it is extremely difficult to get an A. I struggled to get a C. This teacher will make you work.
Interesting and challenging instructor. I am fairly average in the intelligence dept. but I work hard and try to discipline myself. In this class I worked hard and got an A. This is NOT grade 13, this is supposed to be college. A decent college at that. Turn off your phone and act like you're interested in an education .Not for the immature .
I retook this class with Victoria Duckworth and raised my grade from an F to an A. Great class, and interesting concepts. I felt like I learned a lot under her. Great discussions.
She wasn't nearly as bad as most of the previous reviews make her sound. I don't know if it's just me, if she has recently changed, or if she taught my class differently. I didn't do all the reading or study very well for tests and still managed a 'B.' From his reviews, I think I may have been better off with Duxbury. Oh well.
Dude this class was really easy, stupidly so, yet I got a C. Duckworth sucks. Her name is fitting. Class was hella boring and I learned nothing. Worst teacher Ive had yet at SRJC. I have too much pride to kiss her ass, but I should have to get a better grade. Take Jacqueline Del La Russo...she can run cirsles around Duckworth.
she is an idiot. i took her for ENGL1A and we went from a full class plus some to only like 8-10 students. everyone dropped cause they hated her. i got a b and no one got an A, only a few others had b and the rest had c's or lower. she wont listen to you if she is wrong and she thinks she is the smartes person alive. dont take her if you want an A
She is the worst teacher that I have ever had. For my midterm paper I seeked outside help from other professors that helped edit my paper. I even hired a private tutor who in the end said that my paper was flawless. I ended getting a C because she said that she did not agree with my topic personally. She is a grammar and feminist NAZI.
She was a difficult teacher to get along with. She graded based on how much she liked you, so you have to attend class to get a decent grade. She also made you feel unclear on the topic you were supposed to be writting about until after you got your paper back.
Worst teacher I have ever had I went to her for help everyday and I still recieved a D. I've been in school for 5 years, I'm working toward my master in history and she is the only teacher to ever give me a D. Don't take her. She will make you read Virginia Woolfe and only Virginia Woolfe. She isn't helpful and is condescending. Fire her.
she was very hard. her classes were very boring most of the time. you have to be ready to discuss readings everyday or you will look very bad in front of everybody! keeping up on the work was the most important thing!
Don't take Duckworth if you appreciate reading. She ruined english for me.
DO NOT TAKE HER. she is evil. in my class only about 10 % of the students passed. she is really boring and scary looking. i had nihgtmares about her. STAY AWAY FROM HER.
If you have any appreciation for english, do not take her. She really does grade on how much she likes you. I recieved a C and it is my first.The classes are extremely long and frustrating.
She is the most strict English teacher I've ever had. She is very microcopic on your writing and she doesn't say any motivational words to you. I don't recommend her at all.
She would make it clear what she wanted then when you would write your paper she would mark it up with red everywhere. I went to her with help on three of my papers and re-wrote another and she still gave me d's and f's on them. Only 4 people from my class passed.
I took the class previous to this one an got an A. She was one of the worst teachers I ever had. If you had an opinion and it wasn't the same as hers she would be very rude. She grades unfairly. Plus she is a hardcore feminist...not in a good way. Don't take her.
this woman was HORRIBLE!!! i recieved so much help from the writting center as well as friends who are english majors and she tore all of my work apart. It is impossible to pass any of her written assignments, she counts mostly grammar and nothing else. She is very unclear in her instructions during class time and makes students feel stupid.
She was evil!! I took her for English 1A and she gave me a D and said that I plagiarized my final paper O.o. I've NEVER plagiarized anything in my life and felt disgusted by the very notion. But because she was a teacher and any contest I would have made about my grade would have ended badly. So I took a different teacher and got an A. Run. FAST!!
DO NOT TAKE THIS TEACHER. Completely vague about her expectations. Helps you out, then grades you down anyway. And yes she IS a grammar Nazi!
This is meant to be a hard class. I found her to be helpful, but not overbearing. It took me a while to get used to her style. She is hard on grammar, but then again, it's an English class. She bent over backwards to try to understand what our obstacles were. I found no feminism, only concern that we would do well.
I've never been so outraged with a professor. She gave the class misguided direction and expectations. She claims that writing should be open to interpretation - so long as your interpretations don't conflict with her own. She has no structure to her class or to her grading. I also believe that she has a secret hatred for men. Don't take her class!
she is difficult
I HATE THIS TEACHER!! I only took this class for 2 weeks and she made my love for english deteriorate. She is a grammar nazi and she is the only one who can be right, you are always going to be wrong no matter what. She is very rude and unsympathetic. She is without a doubt the WORST teacher I ever had. DO NOT TAKE HER!!!
She was never clear on exactly what she wanted in your writing assignments. Exams were really difficult. A lot of reading in a short time. The class was a waste of time and made me loose some respect for many people in the english department.
i've never wanted to drop a class more than i wanted to drop this one. i never received a passing grade on any assignments. she's bias. she's demanding. i don't like her as a teacher.
She is a very strict teacher with high expectations of her students. She will be extremely critical of your papers. Not recommended for non-English majors. However, if you are serious about improving your writing, she will push you to that goal. Readings for the class are mostly concerning feminism/racism.
Even English major students who got A's all their life are in danger of failing this class (ENGL 46.2). I've never met a more blatantly vain and disdainful woman. If you have any like of English, don't take this class; you'll lose it. It was the most miserable semester of my life.
I read all of these before taking the class thinking "she can't be THAT bad". I was wrong. I am an english major because I love the subject, but only halfway through this class and I am miserable. She is selfish, cares nothing about her students, and has impossible expectations. It's the first time I've been disappointed in the JC's judgment.
she isnt a good teacher. she hasnt shown any effort in helping any of the students and doesnt have any english skill.
Do not take any courses from this professor!!! RUDE, CONDESCENDING, PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE. Be prepared to FAIL even if you've received A's your whole life. This wretched old woman is a blackboard grammar nightmare that will haunt you all semester.
I had really been hoping all of the negative comments were from whiners but she really is a terrible teacher and I have to say kind of lazy since she only assigns 3 long essays for 1A! My guess is that she doesn't want to have to grade so many papers but it would have been helpful to have the practice on more frequent, smaller papers.
Sorry guys but she's really not so bad. I wouldn't take her for a class like Engl 1A but her PHD is in British Lit so she was really good at teaching the subject. I wasn't proud of the essays I turned in and I managed an A on all of them. The tests were hard but not impossible. Maybe the people expecting A's are used to easy teachers.
Make sure you are very clear what the prompts are, don't be afraid to speak up in her class to ask questions or meet with her outside of class. She is a hard grader, she is very detail oriented, but this helped me to examine my work more closely. Annotate everything! Study her notes from class.
very tough teacher. alot of reading. alot of quizes...
I used to absolutely love enlgish. I was an A student until i encountered Victoria Duckworth. Do not take this class if you value your grade at all. She will assign you papers and make corrections not based on content but based on how she wants it to be written. She is also a grammar nazi. No room for improvement in this class either.
This was the hardest english class I have ever taken. I was great in english, but now she has me thinking that i am close to illiterate. I used to get A's and in her class i was lucky if I ever got a B. Do not take this class unless you are confident that you are the best writer in the world, and even then she will still probably mark you down!
This woman is a horrible English teacher. She tells you to do the opposite of everything other English classes tell you to do. everyone in my class got one grade on our first essay, and got the same grade +/- half a grade on every other assignment. She is very unclear on what she wants from her students and is not helpful even outside of class.
Dr. Duckworth's class is demanding, take this only if your other course load is light to medium. I went to class prepared and having done the reading assigned, and got a C on my first paper and A's on all subsequent papers. She was VERY helpful outside of class and in writing lab.
We started the class with 30 students, and she allowed 5 to add. We ended the class with 10 students, and only 5 that passed. I was one of those lucky 5, and I received a C as my final grade. You learn A LOT if you can keep up with her high demands, but it's at the cost of your grade. If you value your GPA, find another instructor.
I am currently a graduate student and to this day I have never encountered a worse teacher than Virginia Duckworth. Santa Rosa JC, please fire her. She is unreasonable, belittling, and offensive in her classes. She should not be teaching in an institution with a well established reputation. She tainted my entire experience at the JC.
She was a hard grader. Helped out when you needed her. Very strict on grading papers.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
0%
Textbook Required
100%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.39 avg changeRatings by Course
ENGB1
4.0
(1)ENG46
4.0
(1)ENGL4779
4.0
(1)ENG1A46
3.0
(1)ENGLISH100
3.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
ENG1A46
5.0
ENG15
5.0
ENGLISH1B
5.0
ENG5
5.0
ENGLISH5
5.0