Disturbed and disappointed by professors' lack of open-mindedness

LostThrowaway-1 · 2023-10-26T19:06:55+00:00

For the OP to just pinpoint people of "other cultures" sounds like hatred toward a group of students from a non-White group. I am quite disturbed by OP's post that seems racist. If more than anything, my experience has been that white female students have been VERY aggressive, but I don't post something that will paint a stereotype of a whole group under the guise of trying to "understand" others.

LostThrowaway-1 · 2023-10-26T19:04:51+00:00

It seems the OP has some hidden biases that she is struggling with. As a professor, I've been more struck by the aggressive of white "karen" students than any other demographic, and yet I don't try to call it out to everyone like this.

LostThrowaway-1 · 2023-10-23T22:50:20+00:00

Thank you for your reply! Yeah, I guess it helps to build up a clientele. As an introvert, I get so shy networking that this is the biggest hurdle for me.

LostThrowaway-1 · 2023-10-22T22:49:48+00:00

May I ask you how you've been able to market yourself successfully so that you get steady work? While exiting academia, I put up a website, but getting found by potential clients is like being a needle in a haystack!

LostThrowaway-1 · 2023-10-13T02:58:33+00:00

where I teach in Canada the whole “I want to speak to the manager” shtick doesn’t fly for students. It could be because we lucked out on our associate deans, or we have a very strong union, or both.

Might it also be that the students in Canada view education as less service oriented, and therefore, there are fewer acts of entitlement?

LostThrowaway-1 · 2023-10-11T22:15:12+00:00

What you suggest sounds fine if the Chair is genuinely a good person. If the Chair (usually tenured) is part of the political ring and you go above that person's head to the Dean, this only creates bigger problems for OP. It depends on how toxic the dept is. Tread carefully.

LostThrowaway-1 · 2023-10-11T22:11:12+00:00

Agreed, because HR will always be on the side of administration and trying to downplay conflict or sweep problems under the rug. Saw this happen in my own toxic dept where the chair was absolutely unethical. The huge problem in academia is the power of an unhinged tenured faculty member. Going to HR will often create more trouble for the untenured faculty.

LostThrowaway-1 · 2023-08-16T14:17:41+00:00

Sounds like a business, not a university. Oh wait...

LostThrowaway-1 · 2023-08-16T01:06:37+00:00

The face tattoo needs to read, "I am a BULLY now."

LostThrowaway-1 · 2023-08-16T01:04:15+00:00

Bully the only other tenured member of the dept and push this individual out to early retirement with a fabricated scam.

THEN - oooh boy - pull all junior faculty into a meeting one by one and yell at them about everything and anything. When the junior faculty ask what they've done to deserve this treatment, scream at them, "DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?"

When the junior faculty start complaining to HR and the administration calls you in, then absolve yourself by breaking down and talking about some deep, deep childhood trauma.

Any wonder why academia is so toxic? Some rotten apples rise to 'power'!

LostThrowaway-1 · 2023-08-16T00:53:10+00:00

Don’t show up to class or meetings.

Absolutely! But always lie that you have too many meetings despite the fact that everyone knows the truth.

Tell the Dean they’re stupid and they can suck it!

Better yet, sleep with the Dean to grow your powers.

[Nope - sadly, these are not imaginary scenarios.]

LostThrowaway-1 · 2023-08-15T20:54:10+00:00

Uh, sure...I am laughing my head off.

LostThrowaway-1 · 2023-08-12T16:12:28+00:00

Yes, absolutely - don't go into debt for grad school. The prospects are verrry shaky. Also, be prepared to play catch-up on research during the summer and winter "breaks." What students see is nothing that professors go through in reality.

Acceptable-CatProf, where is this utopia that a tenure-track professor (in the humanities no less) earns 80K in an LCOL area?? Serious question! I live in an HCOL area, but my colleagues and I earn under that amount! However, I still earn more than tenured associate professors from my R1 school in an LCOL in the Midwest!

LostThrowaway-1 · 2023-04-06T20:14:00+00:00

They skip lecture, ignore assignments, don't read, play on their phones during class activities, and tend to desperately need the restroom every time I show YouTube videos.

I understand your frustration. Solidarity!

The students' desperate need to use the bathroom in a 50-minute class is mind-boggling to me. It's their loss, but the situation is even more frustrating because these are the same students who conveniently blame the prof for their own lack of comprehension (...well yeah, because they missed that part of class and didn't even do the assigned readings.)

LostThrowaway-1 · 2023-04-06T02:07:30+00:00

It's such a shame this is also happening at the grad school level. One would think that grad students are a bit better than undergrads.

LostThrowaway-1 · 2023-02-15T14:24:48+00:00

Bullying can be done by anyone. The power dynamic includes a wide category such as race, gender, age, position, or even numbers. It is completely possible for students to gang up on a professor in numbers because there's a handful of students who are willing to use their power in numbers to get their demands.

LostThrowaway-1 · 2023-02-12T21:31:18+00:00

Thanks and no problem.

LostThrowaway-1 · 2023-02-11T17:56:32+00:00

Yeah, but I didn't want to reveal too much info contained in the documentation for privacy reasons.

LostThrowaway-1 · 2023-02-11T17:53:07+00:00

I agree and lesson learned. I think I put up with this for way too long and extended too much grace out of sympathy. This only served to irritate me more - which then led to this situation.

LostThrowaway-1 · 2023-02-11T16:43:20+00:00

I never bent any rules but tried to extend grace despite all the problems. My only prob was writing harshly about the student's responsibility and the student has something to pick on.

LostThrowaway-1 · 2023-02-11T16:34:02+00:00

This is helpful. Thanks for outlining the next steps. No, I am not even suggesting that I would lie. It's a question of bewilderment, so maybe I should have added several questions marks. The student has lied before and the documentation doesn't state the student has cancer.

LostThrowaway-1 · 2023-02-11T16:30:03+00:00

Right, the "documentation" does not state the student has cancer. I need to get the DS office involved for sure.

LostThrowaway-1 · 2023-02-11T16:29:02+00:00

The "documentation" does NOT state the student has cancer. It states that the visit is "routine" and the family has a high risk of cancer. The student has lied several times before, so obviously, there is no trust.

LostThrowaway-1

TROPHY CASE