Posted by Real Deal on October 27, 2009, 10:06 am, in reply to "RD"
I totally understand SunnyF, absolutely. My X had to deal with a student who for all intents and purposes cost her job. The irony of it all, the board that made the descision to terminate her (X), now find themselves on the end of lawsuits themselves, and the student has caused a major mess in the college.
So I get it. I fully understand the trauma, and I hope for your sake, she doesn't enroll either.
Please trust I was not making light of your situation, only probably seeking a Movie of the Week outcome. Which never really happens. This I know.
But good news on your end.
Sincerely,
RD
--Previous Message--
: 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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