Cornell instructor loses temper over a student yawning in class

<p>Quick</a> Takes: November 17, 2010 - Inside Higher Ed</p>

<p>Hahaha wow I couldn't stop laughing. Let me just say, Mr. Talbert, you could have handled yourself more professionally. Yawning is a natural function, and the student was probably signaling to you discreetly that you need to engage them more. You need not get worked up over such things. That, or they're tired from other classes-- give them a break or at least tell them nicely. Let's just say you probably aren't the nicest or most popular instructor out there, especially after this incident. Nor are you setting a good example for your students who will soon enter the working world in an industry where customer service is a top priority.</p>

<p>For those who will discuss this, you should state your affiliation with Cornell first if you have one and then make your case. This isn't a school issue as I know Cornell professors are wonderful on the whole. This is a propriety issue and this professor should be disciplined.</p>

<p>Im going to leave lecture every 3 minutes and if my professor asks why i am going to say ive been yawning</p>

<p>informal and impolite? he should know the difference between disciplining and ranting.</p>

<p>Unless the guy is purposely making noise. If that’s the case, then the student needs to grow up.</p>

<p>wouldn’t be surprised if he’s on tenure, figures he can chimp out all he wants</p>

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<p>Seriously, that even exists? o_0</p>

<p>^It’s actually very prestigious.</p>

<p>are there any schools at cornell that aren’t at the top lol? serious question</p>

<p>also, are all class sizes this big? 200+ students? i think 40 students is too much… i prefer 20 students or less classes…</p>

<p>and he is very full of himself</p>

<p>it’s probably an intro class</p>

<p>Yup - I’m in the actual class and was even in the section that got yelled at.
The class is HADM 1174: Business Computing. It’s actually a really good class in lab, but the lectures can be boring. The entire freshmen class goes to lecture on Friday (which is right before the Dean’s Lecture which is why everyone is in suits and ties) and then everyone is in a section that meets 2x a week with 40 students max.<br>
I didn’t hear the yawn, but that’s just me. It was scary to be there but quite funny after!</p>

<p>Am the only one siding with the professor? If he’s up at the front, lecturing to what seems to be a pretty good-sized audience, and can even hear the yawn? Well, that’s a problem. </p>

<p>This guy gets up in the morning, puts on a tie, goes to work, and puts together an hour (or more?) long lecture projected on a movie screen, and does his best to engage a CROWD of people…</p>

<p>…and you think it’s okay to YAAAAAAWWWWWWWNNNNNN because you’re not thrilled? C’mon.</p>

<p>Well if it was an overly loud yawn, then yes, that was impolite, but this guy just went overboard</p>

<p>I don’t think it’s okay to yawn purposefully loudly, but I don’t think it’s ever okay to go on a tirade at students. People don’t pay tuition to get screamed at.</p>

<p>I’m also on the professors side here. Apparently it wasn’t the first time such a loud yawn happened and come on, we are all humans with emotions. Just imagine how you would feel if you are doing your best lecturing in front and someone yawns loudly, not only one time.</p>

<p>What would’ve been unacceptable is if he had walked out of class, etc (that’s what I was expecting). But a little 2min rant didn’t hurt anyone and I’m sure the professor felt pretty sorry afterwards.</p>

<p>He could’ve publicly humiliated the kid instead of acting like a 5 year old who had his GameBoy taken away.</p>

<p>I have classes where cell phones go off and thats a more obnoxious and controllable thing yet the professor lets it slide. I think he knows its annoying but it doesnt take away from his lecture as much as getting angry and yelling about it would.</p>

<p>He didn’t go that overboard… my calc teacher would kill a person for much less. That’s exaggeration, but still</p>

<p>A phone went off in my 200+ journalism lecture loud enough for everyone to hear, and the professor told everyone to turn their own phones on for the rest of the class “as an experiment to see who’s most popular.” He could have easily blown up, telling the student that it’s disrespectful to keep your phone on, whatever, but instead he made light of the situation and MOVED ON with the lecture. </p>

<p>This professor is ridiculous. If the yawn bothered him so much (which, really, relax, it’s a bodily function), then he could have spent 20 seconds telling the class that such a thing wasn’t polite and to be quieter when yawning, instead of wasting 2 minutes and making himself look stupid. Because he does look stupid. He looks unprofessional. He looks ridiculous. There is nothing about his tirade that made me respect him.</p>

<p>I agree that this was totally unprofessional and absolutely obnoxious. Encouraging kids to point out their fellow classmates over something that is arguably not a big deal also encourages acrimony in a situation that is supposed to be collaborative. It’s one thing to be asked to told in confidence if someone cheated or something, but to have to worry if your fellow classmates will be jotting your name down every time you yawn? Come on.</p>

<p>The yawn, however, might have been fairly loud. NOT because the professor heard it. In a quiet lecture in a room shaped like that, you can hear a pen drop. But you CAN see all of the heads turning toward the sound. I’m not sure if they’re turning because the professor stopped randomly and started looking in that direction, but it seems like some of the class might have noticed it was a bit over the top in volume. If this was a repeated problem the professor could have calmly stated that it’s possible to yawn without being so loud instead of disrupting the class by ranting and putting everyone on edge. </p>

<p>This is not necessarily an either or situation (I’m on the yawners side, I’m on the prof’s side). Both could have been being obnoxious. But since you can’t hear the yawn in the video you really can’t determine whether or not it was out of line. You can, however, clearly tell the professor IS out of line.</p>

<p>My guess is that the professor was justified in being angry. It sounds like this was an ongoing thing. Of course, it depends on whether the person was purposely yawning loudly or whether he was unaware of it.</p>

<p>I do think he was out of line in calling the yawner a loser. Teachers should never belittle students like that. But other than that, I didn’t see anything offensive in his little rant.</p>

<p>what an idiot that professor is, couldn’t stop laughing ahahahahaha</p>