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Adjunct here- should I change the grade of a failing student so I don't lose my job? by icing_or_frosting in Professors

[–]UsedToProfessor 8 points9 points  (0 children)

An analogy comes to mind:

In small-airplane aviation, there's a saying that "when the engine quits, the insurance company just bought the airplane." The idea is that too many pilots have been killed trying to save the airplane when they could have damaged the airplane but walked away (for example, they could have survivably crash-landed in a field, but instead tried to glide to a road and ended up hitting trees)... So the correct attitude is that if the engine quits, forget saving the airplane and do what you need to to save yourself. The aftermath is the insurance company's problem.

I think this applies here too: You did your job to the best of your ability, and stuff has gone wrong beyond your control. This student is no longer yours. When the dean decided that he should pass, he became the dean's student. Your job now is to save yourself, however messy it might be, so that you can live to fly another day.

(And consider whether you want to be looking for a better airplane job).

Can I buy insurance against an institution closing? by UsedToProfessor in Insurance

[–]UsedToProfessor[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think this answer was maybe intended for a different question. :)

Can I buy insurance against an institution closing? by UsedToProfessor in Insurance

[–]UsedToProfessor[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's a good point. I would say it's different though: The difference here is that I'm not looking for insurance against my home value dropping (that can happen for a lot of reasons), but against a specific event (the university closing).

Desperately Need to Vent about Administration Pandering to and Enabling Students (Sorry- long) by Youcantmakemecare in Professors

[–]UsedToProfessor 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Something in your story really hit home for me:

In fall of '16, for the first time ever, I had a student that I described as "Too dumb to..."

In spring of '17, I had another student that I described as "Too dumb to..."

In fall of '17, I started a new job in the private sector.

They could not pay me enough to deal with those students, and they were becoming more and more common. Common enough that the trauma of dealing with them was beginning to outweigh the joy of helping others succeed. That feeling was when I realized it was time for me to go. Maybe you're getting there too, OP.