Posted by sunflower577 on October 27, 2009, 9:37 am, in reply to "Re: A positive note"
From what I heard, I was not the only one this student had issues with. Given that her eval was conducted 'anonymously' - the only way I know it was her was by a direct reference made to something I said directly to her... I am not sure what she has learned in the intervening four months. I think the learning opportunity would have come if she had either approached me one-one or brought it up for class discussion. I could have then understood why she was uncomfortable and she could have understood why I did what I did. Water under the bridge now.
Her eval really did a number on my self-esteem as an instructor... I keep having to remind myself that it was one of 25 in the class --- and only one of hundreds of students. Amazing how it stands out and how painful it was. I would like to think that I am a 'big' enough person to let it go if she enrolls in my class - but what she did had the potential to be very detrimental and bordered on slanderous. The class she would enroll in is one of my favorites to teach - and it is an elective course, so I don't get to do it that often... as such, it is a sort of sacred ground for me... I really don't want her in my class.
--Previous Message--
: "Now, I just hope for the student's sake
: - and my sake - that she does not enroll in
: one of my classes next semester."
:
: How about this? Let's hope the student does
: enroll in one of your classes and has
: educated herself enough to know what a
: dreadful homophobic mistake she made and she
: has matured enough to recognize this. That
: would be an additional happy ending now
: wouldn't it? Otherwise she hasn't learned
: anything.
:
: Of course you're teaching three classes. The
: students deserve someone like you teaching
: them.
:
: RD
:
:
:
: --Previous Message--
: Some of you may remember from some of my
: past
: posts that I was somewhat raked over the
: coals for 'coming out' in class last year.
: For those who don't, the long and short of
: it was that in an attempt to illustrate the
: difference between visible stigma v.
: invisible stigma, I told my students about
: my experience on the job market and having
: to make the decision about whether or not to
: discuss my gf at the interview dinner (a
: common part of academic job interviews). One
: of my former students, in a not-so-anonymous
: end-of-the semester evaluation said that the
: class discussion made her so uncomfortable
: that she would have left except it would
: have been rude. The review itself was both
: hurtful and troubling. More troubling were
: the extended conversations that I had to
: have first with the academic dean and the
: dean (someone I have known for 10+ years),
: explaining what happened and defending my
: actions and asserting that I had not done
: anything inappropriate. That I had simply
: used an experience to help define something
: they were learning about. I thought for
: certain after all the conversations that
: this would be last semester teaching there.
: And have been pretty upset about it because
: a) I really love teaching and b) I really
: like the program I teach in.
:
: Well - not only am I teaching next
: semester... I am teaching THREE classes...
: more than a full-time course load! I am a
: little concerned because it is going to make
: it a VERY intense semester... but, also very
: relieved. I still sucks that this student's
: evaluation is a part of my permanent record,
: so to speak... but am glad it did not have a
: lasting impact on my ability to teach in
: this program.
:
: Now, I just hope for the student's sake -
: and my sake - that she does not enroll in
: one of my classes next semester.
:
:
:
:
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