Things Professors Hate

<p>This was posted in a different form on the emailing professors thread. It's good advice about being engaged with learning. and worth a read for all college students.
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/10-things-every-college-professor-hates-2014-8"&gt;http://www.businessinsider.com/10-things-every-college-professor-hates-2014-8&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>(And I'd like to stipulate here, that yes, there are professors that do annoying things too, but a counter-discussion of that would be more useful in a college-professor forum than a parent one.)</p>

<p>Another random list, but not a bad one. To this I would add:</p>

<p>Don’t disrupt class. Don’t bring food more complicated or aromatic than a PBJ. If you’re late, don’t make noise coming in and getting seated, don’t launch into an apology or explanation, and don’t interrupt the professor to ask for the handouts you missed when class started. Don’t ask to go to the bathroom; just slip out of the room quietly. Don’t ask off-topic questions. Don’t ask for clarification before the professor has finished his/her train of thought. Don’t use class time to discuss your grade or a class policy; save that for the professor’s office hours.</p>

<p>And the variant on “Did I miss anything important:” “Will this be on the exam?”</p>

<p>One of my favorites</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/013.html[/url]”>http://www.loc.gov/poetry/180/013.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Hadn’t seen that poem before. Love it.</p>

<p>Things Professors Hate? </p>

<p>Every Monday through Thursday in September, October, November, February, March, and April? </p>

<p>Close?</p>

<p>I don’t think my dad hates those things, xiggi, or he wouldn’t still be teaching at his age! He’s coming up on 50 years in 2015. He is still doing research, too. I think he hates cheating more than anything else.</p>

<p>I love teaching. I think that that fairly benign list of how not to behave in college will make my experience, and more importantly, my students’ experiences, better.</p>

<p>I hate it when students miss class and email, “Did I miss anything?” Duh.</p>

<p>I hate it when students get papers back and only look at the grade, not the comments. I leave feedback on an online platform and if students don’t look at the comments, I know it.</p>

<p>I hate it when students don’t bring their books to class and never utter a word during discussion, and wonder why their exam grade is a D (sitting in a room does not guarantee learning by osmosis).</p>

<p>sleeping in class doesnt win any points</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>And then they write bad reviews of YOU.</p>

<p>

Having slept often in class, that’s one that doesn’t faze me.</p>

<p>Still would recommend against that. Other profs may be less forgiving.</p>

<p>In a big lecture theater, sleeping might not get noticed, and no one would no the sleeper anyway. In a class of 50 or fewer, you could easily get noticed. I personally go ballistic if a kid just puts his/her head on the desk, sleeping or not. They learn quickly not to do that. Even if a kid drops off while sitting up I’ll say his or her name very loudly.</p>

<p>Rudeness of any kind goes viral if you don’t stop it right away.</p>

<p>I sympathize with students who might fall asleep in class because of sleep apnea or brutal job schedule, but I have little sympathy for those who just don’t bother getting their needed stable nightly sleep without such an extenuating circumstance. It’s just so deeply jarring to see one of your students asleep. </p>

<p>^How do you know who has an extenuating circumstance and who doesn’t?</p>

<p>You don’t, on first impression. It’s just that I’m old now and realize that there are a lot of explanations behind people’s behavior. So, I offer the benefit of the doubt, but follow up with investigation, if the situation warrants. </p>

<p>My pet peeve is cell phone use in class - even when I explicitly say do not use them. I once had a student answer the phone in the middle of a guest lecturer - she jumped up and left the room with her phone. It was disturbing. I was angered, but surprised because it was out of character for her. She came up at the end of the lecture and apologized to the guest and myself. The call was her deployed husband calling from a war zone overseas - she was forgiven. If you have special circumstances it’s always good to let the instructor know or be willing to explain and apologize when appropriate.</p>

<p>My pet peeve is cell phone use in class - even when I explicitly say do not use them. I once had a student answer the phone in the middle of a guest lecturer - she jumped up and left the room with her phone. It was disturbing. I was angered, but surprised because it was out of character for her. She came up at the end of the lecture and apologized to the guest and myself. The call was her deployed husband calling from a war zone overseas - she was forgiven. If you have special circumstances it’s always good to let the instructor know or be willing to explain and apologize when appropriate.</p>

<p>

I have multiple sleep disorders. When I was younger I did also but they were not diagnosed, and I did not really realize the problem. Fortunately, my teachers never got bent out of whack at my classroom drowsiness. </p>

<p>I jokingly suggested to the class that we could play the “phone game” like people do in restaurants - first student to touch their phone has to come up and give the rest of the lecture. Now I need to up my game so that they don’t want to do that!</p>