#professorproblems

[twintherapists]

Assistant Professor offices be like:

[emsotoauthor]

Sometimes it’s good to hide from the world. #timeout #workingallthetime #professorproblems #craftersofinstagram #writersofinstagram #introvert #chiweeniesofinstagram #hansel #puppylove #rescuedogsofinstagram

[gotmehookedonthekpop]

If I have to grade tests, at least it feels like I’m at a wine bar… #grading #gradingtests #gradingfordays #shouldhavemadeitmultiplechoice #wine #professorproblems (at Montclair, Denver)

[helenarase]

Even though I did it a semester late, I finally went and got my faculty ID at ULV. Sure, they could totally fix the white balance on their camera and it’s going to bug me, but at least I look official. I was there to change grades for my documentary photography class and was asked by three people if I was actually faculty because they can’t give them to students🙄 #photography #photojournalism #professorproblems (at University of La Verne) https://www.instagram.com/p/BsWsaYogRGE/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=c9nb7am41h5c

[inkedandinstructing]

I had one of my former students share this with me. 😂

[krenshawkrawdad-blog]

#gradingpapers #professorlife #professorproblems #art #artwork #árt #artistic #artlovers #artgram #artlover #àrt #artist #artstagram

[emptyage79]

Tweeted

#WednesdayWisdom #ProfessorProblems #NotWeird #Candy pic.twitter.com/1hLBYDY9yR

— Dr. Harden (@HardenPSY101) September 19, 2018

[crajee]

If I had an English name, would you have judged me differently?

I had a paper due the first class after spring break. As any student would have thought, are you serious?! Who has the time? Well, I was one of them because I was working all week and in my down time, I spent time with my family. The only time I had for this paper was two days before it was due. I submitted it knowing I wouldn't do well. A couple days later, I had emailed my professor asking about the next paper assignment. She responds:

Dear___,

Hi. thanks for your message about the next paper assignment. I will present it in class tomorrow. 

Right now, actually, I'm writing about your ____ paper. It has a lot of problems. I am having quite a bit of difficulty understanding the argument; the writing is quite unclear, ungrammatical. I am writing to invite you to revise and resubmit. I think it would be helpful to make an appointment at the writing center, or with our TA __, and go over the paper, working on making sure that each sentence is clear and grammatical.

Okay, I was expecting this kind of email. This is no prob BUT she doesn't stop there. In this next part, she didn't have to say this ...no... she SHOULDN'T have said this.

There are ESL issues that are getting in your way.

Here is contact info for the Writing Center:

wcenter@___________.edu

You could also contact and work with ____ who is a resource person for international students. She is copied here.___.

Please let me know what you think of this, and submit a revision as soon as is practicable.

Thanks.

------

Wow.

How did I feel? Well, for those who know me, know already but I'll say it anyway. I was extremely offended and furious. I wanted to send an email showing my fury but thinking about, bringing myself down to that level wasn't going to change anything. So, I sent an email where it allowed me to show my understanding and respect for the professor and balancing both my anger and faults:

Hi Professor ___,

Thank you for your concern. I apologize for the grammatical errors and not giving this paper as much effort as I should have put. This is not a valid excuse, but I was distracted before and during spring break and I was very limited on time while writing this paper. However, my writing was not a reflection of my "ESL issues". I am honestly bothered by your comment because I have lived in the states since I was 3 months old. I found it unprofessional to judge my writing based on my appearance/name. I do recognize my fault for not putting enough effort into this paper but I want to be clear this is not a language barrier. I will work on my time management skills and hope in the future, this misjudgment will not arise again. 

I will make an appointment with the writing center to go over my paper.

Thank you for your time,

---

This shouldn’t have happened through email. I'm surprised this even happened in the first place. If this happened in the classroom, I understand that the professor had little time to rethink her word choice but through email there is no excuse. It’s humiliating to have a professor think of me this way after sitting through class engaging in discussions for over a month. Why make this assumption and immediately label me as an international student? The only reason I can think of what led her to this assumption is because of my foreign name. Which made me think: If I had an English name, would you have judged me differently? 

In comparison to the professor in a classroom, she had the advantage of thinking before speaking. Emailing helps to rethink/reorganize thoughts before sending (talking) the letter. I would advise to always have another trusted individual to reread the email before sending it in. Otherwise, students will express unfavorable opinions about you, the professor, and your unprofessionalism. Also, I do hear a lot of stories where professor/faculty often speak bluntly because of one’s belief or idea of race. But y'kno this email is hard-core evidence to bring you down. I could have written a complaint about this unprofessionalism to the dean of the University. How are you a teacher, teaching at a multiethnic school? I can go on and on criticizing the email above and teaching ways but I don’t.

~~~~~

Surprisingly, I applaud your following response this was professional in your part.

Hi, 

Oh dear. I am so sorry, ____, and I apologize wholeheartedly. I am truly sorry. I think I was -- completely wrongly-- generalizing from other students of ___ origin who have been in my classes. It is a very significant mistake, and I appreciate your pointing it out so frankly. I apologize for making false assumptions about you. I think I understand how insulting it must feel, and I really regret singling you out based upon appearance and name.

I didn’t expect this, actually I didn’t know what to expect but it was a good apology, you came into terms of understanding your mistake. However, what you wrote in the second paragraph was unnecessary and random. 

My children are adopted from ___ and so I worry a lot about their being singled out and having false assumptions made about them. I hate to have done the very thing I do not want to do/have done to them. I will confess, though, that I do take a stronger than usual interest in people from ____(where my parents are from)___ and am interested in/invested in them and their culture. I may have over __(country)__-ized you in my imagination out of feelings of affiliation you would of course know nothing about.

In any event, whatever the underlying causes, I sincerely apologize and appreciate your candidly sharing your feelings with me.

Sincerely, ---

This second paragraph still shows you assume that I identify myself where my parents are from but I really don’t. I don’t know my parent’s country/culture very well and am still learning. My ideals and ways are of an American. For that second paragraph, you sound like you're trying to make yourself feel better and justify that you weren't being racist. You didn't have to do that at all, all I wanted was an apology and have you understand what you did wrong. Thankfully you did. I say this because it's rare to find professor/faculty admit to their wrongdoing, especially at the school's literature department. In this situation, I found it a miracle to have a professor understand the circumstance.

~~~

Note: This happened around March of this year, so it's pretty recent. I was just having a conversation with a few of my friends today about this touchy subject and sharing stories. I think I've told this before earlier this year but I wanted to straight up tell my story, how I felt and the end result. I hate how this happens so often and makes me nervous how I'm going to run my classroom in the near future. 

[bcapt8]

I'll give up caring for Lent. I always give up crack for Lent. It usually goes pretty well.

Student & Dr. B

[starsofbrightestmagnitude]

Linguists are recognizing the delightful evolution of the word "because." 

As much as I like internets, please, please, please let me get what I want: students should not include internet speaks in formal writing assignments.

[rrqueensworld]

This'll be my next 2(ish) weeks until Fall semester starts. Lesson planning, syllabi, and Canvas. #professorproblems #iloveenglish #academicnerdalert https://www.instagram.com/p/CSeOOrgrgBf/?utm_medium=tumblr

[emsotoauthor]

When you got a long night of lecturing ahead of you. #professorproblems #higherlearning

[fleexbee-blog]

That awkward moment when...

You have the same professor, in the same room, for two classes in a row, and your professor leaves after the first class and doesn't come back for the second. Hahahaha oh professor Todd!

[inkedandinstructing]

“I Deserve an A.”

“I worked really hard in your class.”

“I put so much time and effort into your course.”

“But I did every assignment.”

“I think/feel I should be given[insert special treatment here] because [insert reason why the student is special here].”

Over the past year, these are the kinds of sentences I receive in my inbox towards the end of each semester. There aren’t many of these emails, but there’s a few here and there which grind my gears enough for me to post my first blog ever. These emails are not only incredibly irritating, but they’re also worrisome and insulting.

Let me break down each emotional response for you.

Why it’s irritating: I get countless emails each day from faculty, staff, the college announcements team, and students. Receiving emails from students who think they deserve a different grade absolutely wastes every second of my time that I spend reading and responding to it. Grades are not something you can negotiate. Pleading for a different grade never works. If you’re reading this, you probably already know this. For the love of humanity, share this with everyone you know so we may have a more competent group of young scholars entering and exiting college. It’s also irritating because the way I’d like to respond is always vastly different than the way I eloquently and professionally respond.

Why it’s worrisome: I teach college students. These students are supposedly adults who function in the “real world” as such. This means they potentially work, pay bills, own/rent property, and have children. These are people who somehow function in a society filled with deadlines, expectations, and requirements, so when I get an email from a student saying they feel their grade should be different, I get worried. 

I’m sure many might think oh, it’s those millennials! You’d be surprised to know that it’s actually people of all ages that send me these emails. If they’re a younger student, this is a reflection of their upbringing in school and at home. If they’re a returning college student, it’s a reflection of how adults function in our society. Either way, this is a reflection of our culture, and it’s scary. Don’t fret: if you stomp around and complain enough, you’ll get your way. How have we decided that this is a great way to run our society, and what will be the repercussions of this? 

Why it’s insulting: Despite myself having this blog as an outlet for teaching, I truly, passionately, endlessly love my job career. It is simultaneously the most challenging and rewarding task I’ve ever experienced. Some days are so incredibly tough, but other days are pure magic. To receive a pleading email for a higher grade is insulting. Telling me that you deserve something different than what you earned is telling me several things that you think of me: 1. I do not know great or hard work when I see it. 2. I do not know how to grade assignments. 3. I am not properly doing my job. 4. I am unfit for this vocation. 5. I am easily swayed and a pushover.

Let me respond to each of the above: 1.I have seen horrible writing; it was so horrible, in fact, that I almost cried. I’ve also seen outstanding writing; it was so outstanding, in fact, that I almost cried. These students, as well as the others that fall in between horrible and outstanding, sometimes put in the hard work and sometimes do not. The horrible writing could be from the hardest working student ever, and the outstanding writing could be the student who wrote their essay an hour before class. That’s just the way the cookie crumbles sometimes. This is a true reflection of how unfair life can be. I know which students work hard, but if the paper isn’t an A paper, then it’s not an A paper. Have you ever noticed that when instructors have grading rubrics, there is never a “The Amount of Hard Work Put into This Assignment” grading section? Think about it. Hard work is admirable, but it does not guarantee the desired amount of success. The answers to 2, 3, and 4 are all the same: If you feel this way, perhaps one day you can become an English professor and show me how it’s done. 5. If you spent an entire semester with me and still think this is how I work or how the grading in my class works, then you’ve clearly spent the entire semester daydreaming or staring at your lap while scrolling through your phone. You fool!

In addition to all of the insulting information above, asking for a different grade than the one you earned completely ruins the integrity of other students’ grades. The student who naturally isn’t the best writer but stayed up late, stayed after class to ask questions, put in the hours, and did the work well enough to earn a C suddenly has a grade that is meaningless when all you think you have to do is simply ask for a higher grade. 

It’s funny that teaching lessons to students never ends, even after grades are posted. To all my teachers out there: Be strong and never back down.

Ahhh. Venting Successful.

[bcapt8]

Yeah, I have freshman essays, too... the liquor will flow freely... It's called "grading juice!"

Dr. B

[rrqueensworld]

My new work related mug. #englishprofessor #professorproblems #justreadthesyllabusplease https://www.instagram.com/p/CRWG62FLzO1/?utm_medium=tumblr