A Tenured Professor’s Take On Toxic College Policies
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- čas přidán 29. 08. 2024
- I had such a wonderful college career myself (shout out to San Francisco State University's Comm department!), that I had no idea just how many problems existed in higher education. My policies are, sadly, still considered extreme by many, but I have devoted my career to student-centered compassionate pedagogy and am slowly making changes using what little power I have on my platform.
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My heart goes out to the kid who was dropped from their classes despite struggling to cope with the fact that their sister had been murdered only a month prior. To both lose your sister and to be made out to be a failure because they’re grieving is a horrible thing to go through.
The college professors really don’t give a fuck on the large scale- profs like him are a minority. I went through the hardest year of my life and struggled to be present for my classes requirements. I missed weeks of an online class because I thought it was self study (it wasn’t), and the prof basically was like “well it’s important to read the syllabus so no you can’t turn in any of the missed work or make up the quizzes”
Unfortunately life doesn't stop because a family members did. A heart surgeon can't stop in the middle of a transplant. A daycare employee can't leave kids alone because her sister got sick, you can't not pay your rent, you can't expect the world to stop because of your feelings.
@@kristingallo2158 He wasn’t asking for the world to stop; he was asking for a little fucking compassion, understanding, and patience from his college professors.
@@kristingallo2158 you are comparing Apples to Oranges. Did you even watch the video. Showing this student some compassion is not going to stop someone's heart nor leave any children abandoned in the middle of the day.
@@kristingallo2158 what is unfortunate is that our society has deemed personal loss as lacking in importance. In an advanced society there’s no excuse for a lack of compassion in many circumstances. The daycare employee is a part time employee who doesn’t get paid enough to be stripped of grieving time. The heart surgeon can take time off because of a family loss, there are other surgeons. The concept that “life doesn’t stop” is capitalistic ideology that we have to constantly be working in order to be productive citizens contributing to society. We aren’t cogs in a machine, we’re human beings. Corporate greed and capitalism have been allowed to infiltrate into parts of our lives they have no place in.
As an educator, if half your class failed, you should be fired.
If I only do half my work, I'd get fired.
EDIT:
In before someone starts talking about "the real world", a manager that assigns tasks that workers cannot meet is a terrible manager.
Amen to that!!! The reason we have so many toxic managers could be because of the state of the education system of their college years. Never occur to these other teachers they could be shaping a different world instead of maintaining an aged and terrible state of mind?
Sometimes the material really is that hard, but I see where you're coming from.
@@LiquidBones In some classes we have 90% failure quote lol.
@@snipingcat137 are those weed out classes? I remember some classes being seen as the weed out class for some of the more prestigious programs. If you could make it through those classes you were fine but they definitely were there to deter some from going on.
@@kdplans8120 All but one. The one was thermodynamics, which is just a hard topic.
Re: good teachers giving bad grades.
I was a kid that always took great pride in my grades, until I taught a class as a grad student, and my advisor basically told me to manipulate the "attendance and participation" portion of the grade to lower grades. Regardless of how well or poorly my students did, the department required me to have a B- average for the class so it wouldn't be regarded as too easy. So if I got to the end of the semester and the grade was too high, I was supposed to take points off the "participation" portion of the grade (since there's no documentation to show how much or little a student participates, they can't call me on this.)
Then I was like, "Oh, cool. So this institution I took a lot of pride in and derived a lot of my self worth from has been bullshit the whole time. Good to know."
On the subject of "Disability Accommodation Request". I'm Autistic. I have an IEP (Individual Education Plan). Hearing that you would just kept those practices in your class that we had to request teachers follow makes me so happy. I've been terrified of going to college because I'm scared that I won't get the help I need and waste money I don't have. You saying that you do that stuff with your class anyways. It's so refreshing. Thank you
If the college receives federal funding then your IEP should carry over. There is usually a department that helps students with any disability access the resources they need.
At my school it’s called SAS, student accessibility services and it’s amazing. You can get things like time and a half on tests, or a tutor. The SAS provides a document, usually in email, that you would forward to your professor. The professor has office hours, which can be like for admin stuff or a quick tutor session. The prf also usually has a TA and a few MLAs, and they usually offer other study sessions. You can definitely do this ❤
There’s also lists of colleges that are more disability friendly and if you can talk to someone in the department you want to get a sense of how they specifically deal with things (is there someone to help mediate with a prof if there’s an issue, what is the policy around testing, is there a testing center? How long do you get to try a course before you have to decide to drop or not?) these are all great questions. Obviously chose a college holistically and each college does things differently but it gives you somewhere to start with data collection
Great, generous comment. ♥️
Thank you. Very helpful. ♥️
OMG!!! the idea that the accommodations are not needed if good teaching practices are in place absolutely hits the mark!!
My son has a neurological disability. He's also very smart. When he was in middle school his teachers and guidance counselor worked tirelessly with me to help figure out what accommodations would work for him.
They all loved what we came up with so much they put it in to practice for ALL of their kids.
These comments are all heart breaking.
If I ever win the big lottery I'm creating a college that will be what every person on here needs it to be.
This is literally a huge chunk of what the neurodiversity movement is about, and it's astounding how many people push back against it because they're so determined to misinterpret everything autistic (and other ND) people say. ND people are SO much happier, less stressed and more functional when they are given accommodations to support them - most of which ALSO benefit the neurotypical people in the classes too, and make for a far healthier and happier life than is expected in most capitalist societies (and especially the US where if you don't work 80 hours a week and go into work sick as a dog to infect everyone else, otherwise you'll be looked upon as a scrounger and lazy). Maybe instead of other people whining about how the "real world isn't so nice" and trying to stop those accommodations, we should... I don't know, make accommodations a normal part of life, along with a much healthier work/life balance and also not judging people's worth on the number of hours they can work/money they can make.
Ableism sucks ass, whether it's aimed specifically at ND people or just in general. Just because someone is disabled and cannot work, that doesn't mean they have less value and are just a burden on society. And surprisingly enough, if we stop making it so hard for disabled people to actually be accommodated to work and take part in hobbies, etc, then more people might find that they have the spoons or tickets to be able to actually do more of the things that they otherwise can't do. Yet somehow that passes so many people by.
The really sad thing about ableists is that they don't actually work as hard as they say. They hold everyone else to standards they themselves can't meet. They just have the power to make the rules.
I could take a team of all outcasts and runs circles around a team of 'normal' people any day. It just takes attention to detail, a little creativity and a touch of resourcefulness.
I have C-PTSD and I was a straight-A student until about eighth grade. From then on my grades slipped lower and lower until I was barely in the running to graduate by the end of my senior year of high school. Back then the highest score you could get on the SAT was 2400, and I scored a 2110 without even taking a preparatory course.
Grades don’t always measure intelligence.
@@eileensnow6153 I work in a hospital. Grades and education level are NOT in any way an indicator of intelligence or ability.
My last year of middle school, my mother died. It was just us at home, and she was very ill. My teachers hadn’t been aware as it had never occurred to me to tell them. And while my grades had inexplicably tanked, no one asked why that was. I appreciate I only passed 8th grade because several of them recorded grades I hadn’t earned. But they still didn’t ask how I was. I didn’t miss a day of school.
Christ. I am heartbroken to hear this. I have tears running down my face. I’m so sorry. I taught school for 1 year then went to grad school. I believe you. People with access to children should be watched like hawks. People are a mess. I hope you are doing ok my little fawn. ♥️🙋♀️
Big HUGS to you. 💞💜💞
I'm so sorry this happened to you. It breaks my heart that this is so prevalent. I actually became a teacher because of all the bad teachers i had that never asked me what was wrong when i quit school and retuned 3 times. Big hugs to you. You deserve better!
I see you. It’s not your fault, and at that age we don’t wanna stand out/be different. It makes sense you didn’t think talking about it was pertinent.
I lost my father when I was 14. Even with a mom who could keep us in the same house, nothing really worked for a long time.
I see you, dear friend.
@@XcalmwaterstpX I became a teacher because of my teachers who I told I was raped sophomore year in high school and told my father nearly beat me to death and none of them did anything to help me. Now I’m the teacher my students talk to when their life implodes. I totally get it.
I had one professor who noticed I was WAY ahead in the work on like the second week. He said: You pretty much got this. You dont have to come back to class, I'm giving you an A.
I envy your dopamine.
@@NottyAries Why?! HTML is easy.
No way. Right?
No way that happened like that, what's the rest of the story........
@@e.1766 That's exactly what happened... You act like programming in HTML is hard. The code is Hella simple...
That student whose sister was murdered really got me. I lost my dad during college and missed like a week ot two of school, but it was close to the end of the semester. My school gave me some extra time to make up my work, but one professor stood out to me. I had been a bit behind on work before I lost my dad and the professor said, well these are all of the work items that you have not completed. You can either spend the next couple of weeks working to complete it or I can just give you the grade you have up until the missed time and you'll be finished with the course. He left the choice up to me. I took the grade and walked. I could have worked really hard to raise the grade, but I was happier to be left off easy with a passing grade with one less thing to worry about.
ADHDer here. We don't believe you because we've been insulted, harassed, pressured, punished and lied to by our teachers for our entire educational careers (from grade school on up) even by teachers who promised otherwise at the beginning.
By the time we get to college, we have developed a protection routine which basically says, assume the worst no matter what the teacher says at the start of the course until the teacher proves otherwise by their actions.
We are like this because we have years of getting burned by taking these "relaxed" teachers and professors at their word from the start.
I 100% get it…but that’s probably because I also have ADHD and had profs do the same thing to me.
It extends to the professional world, too. I started a new job 3 months ago & so far my boss has been really kind & ready to work with me as much as possible on what I need for my ADHD. And on a cognitive level I completely believe her, but on an emotional level I can't. And it's that emotional level that at least 80% of the time determines whether I can even bring myself to ask for what I need in the first place.
I also have ADHD, diagnosed when I was 6 and then again at 35, and it's also important to remember that we ARE reprimanded more AND ALSO are predispositioned to FEEL MORE OFFENDED than others as well. So understanding that WE TAKE MORE OFFENCE to critical comments and we dismiss VALID ones more than others, so it's a two-way street. So it's important to give the same grace we expect from others while also validating out own, personal, trauma. I'm also a SpEd teacher and most teachers just aren't educated on neurodivergence and it was triggering every damn day. it doesn't really go away.
@@TheRealSpeechProf Yep! Please understand, I am not trying to accuse you of this. ❤️ I know you're one of us. LOL.
Just... I understand how frustrating it is when you're one of those trying to do the right thing, but people simply can't accept that without mountains of proof. Even more frustrating is when you know that's because life has taught them to be that way.
You... I wish, oh, how I wish more teachers were like you. :) You just keep doing you. Maybe it will catch on, right? We can always hope.
@@BebbaDubbs You are in a niche that I think we need more of. :) Special Ed was my mom's first college degree! She so badly wanted to work in it. But then she ended up divorced and a single parent and needed a better paycheck. She ended up in healthcare. Respiratory therapy. My sister followed her into that same sector, and well... me and my ADHD... I did five years as a CNA and then found my love with pre-hospital emergency medicine. I'm an EMT and it's perfect because I can't sit still or function without constant changing multitasking for anything! 😂
I am constantly asking myself if what I'm feeling is over the top - is it just me, is it the ADHD or my anxiety or my PTSD or is it legitimately worth being upset about. So many times I just can't tell, so I stuff it and don't show it. Because I'd rather hide it than have a meltdown and be "that one" that overreacts to "everything."
I think the worst part about students panicking about not wanting to upset you is knowing the REASON is because they've been burned before. So many of us put our all into everything only to still not meet expectations and it *hurts.* It causes physical pain and mental anguish. We carry the guilt of all the missed expectations and it accumulates into trauma.
I studied some linguistics at university and in my first 2 years I learned a little here and there about BEV/AAVE. I learned how much of the time it differentiates certain tenses more accurately and I gained tremendous respect for BEV. Then I did my year abroad in Germany, and so I decided to take more linguistics courses. They were in obviously German so I struggled to understand everything, but then the professor started speaking about BEV, and I managed to translate some of it. Not only was she clearly despicably racist, she was WRONG, like factually wrong. I couldn't go back to that class knowing that the professor was allowed to be that much of a racist idiot and pass that on to students.
Wow. When you’re in a class dealing w so much power over you that’s freaking scary.
I managed to take a course on AAVE in grad school that was very illuminating. I admit to having an inherent bias against it in educational and professional settings, but this is because of conditioning; there's nothing wrong with the dialect itself and in fact I think it's wonderful for the communities it's spoken in to have that homey, expressive speech. When the time came for me to coach a young man with a quite thick accent as a college professor, I met with him one-on-one and talked him through modes and registers of speech, and said that if he explained to me what he meant he could use AAVE in the classroom. I cautioned him that people in other settings would discriminate against him, unfair as that is.
As a white teacher in a predominantly Black school, AAVE is the language of both my students and my colleagues. And honestly? It's really nice. It's nice to have a faculty and admin who know that there is nothing wrong with the way our kids speak. That there is nothing wrong with them. It's nice that our campus is a living example that there are vibrant intellectual, professional communities where AAVE is the lingua franca, that the kids know they don't have to be barred from academia for the way they speak. It's nice that my coworkers don't feel the need to codeswitch at work to be taken seriously. It's just. It's genuinely nice.
We don't believe you because teachers have turned on us so many times 😭 Even my favorite teacher as a kid told me "listen, I need you to get this one in on time, I know you do good work but it's unfair to the other kids" once. in all fairness that was a good 20 years before my diagnosis so I can see the logic, as it wasn't considered accommodation and other kids did get in trouble for the same thing, but it's hard to believe even the best meaning teachers.
for what it's worth- I failed to follow the instructions on that one because "on time" was what I prioritized. she dropped the on time thing after that and I got an A- because I had more than enough information, I just failed to fit the format of the grading rubric at all 😂
Shout out to all my fellow anxious teacher's pets and the teachers that understood we weren't sucking up, just trying not to suck.
I really like the crowd in here.
The education system is not what it was 20 years ago, more teachers are now aware that people have lives outside of the school and that not everyone has it stress free, and that many kids go without getting diagnosed ir medical help.
Please help me break this down. You didn't have an accommodation, and the teacher asked you to get an assignment turned in on time. How did they turn on you? I'm extra confused because they gave you an extension.
@@britters220 I’m still a student and have had pretty much the same experiences as this person is describing, for what it’s worth.
@@anthonynorman7545 Similar here.
Specifically: _"I need you to get this one in on time"_ sounds like the teacher did make an exception before, triggering the good ol' "well then of course I get an exception every time!".
And that's exactly why teachers are often hesitant, or refuse to make exceptions *without an ironclad justification*. The justification isn't for them, it's for the inevitable "hey why is he/she allowed and not me, IT'S UNFAIR!!!!!!" protests.
Or the "but you allowed it once, and now you're telling me once isn't the same as always?"
I can kind of get that to a child, hearing that "I made one exception for you" didn't mean "I'll make exceptions for you all the time" feels like _you stabbed me in the back_ .
As an adult we can at least consider that somebody who teaches six ore more different classes doesn't have time-lines 'on principle'. You have them because there's an unending river of paperwork, grade lists, more papers to grade, more tests to grade, more exams to grade rolling in.
"Here's what I have noticed about my neurodivergent students as a nerd virgin professor"
Love you, closed caption
where does it say that?
@@RilianSharp Read the words, don't listen to them.
@@TMKing_MS
where in the video?
@@RilianSharp 2:23
I saw that too 😂
The thing I wish I knew before college. Some professors do not have your best interest at heart. Others are compassionate and want to see you succeed.
Some were miserable drunks and sociopaths who loved to see a good student fail, just for sport. And you paid them to screw you.
I had to take Written Communications I & II in university. Had a particular professor I wanted to have as the teacher for the course, but her classes were full, so I ended up with someone else. She hated the way I wrote, even though I followed exactly what she asked for. I usually got Ds in her class, I think I may have gotten a C or two along the way, but I ended up "passing" the class with a D. Had to retake it. Finally got to take the class with the professor I wanted in the first place. Immediately went from Ds to straight As. Turns out the highest grade the first professor I had gave in all her classes was a C. She got suspended for failing too many students. The second professor was the one who was compassionate and wanted to see her students succeed. Sometimes the system works for the students. Sometimes it doesn't. At the same school, I had a tenured professor who did almost the same thing in her classes (failing too many students), but she kept her job, and she sucked at it. When most of your students are failing, that's not a them problem, it's a you problem.
I guess that's the difference between studying whatever you actually wanna do in life and studying whatever you can afford.
I come from a country that has basically free universities (some might have a small fee like 200 a year or semester) and I never heard anyone say that the teachers or professors don't care about the students.
The class was required, but it was a subject I knew VERY well. But it was an 8:00am class, and the teacher didn;t want to be there at 8:00am either. So she penalized for attendance, because if SHE had to be there, by golly, YOU had to be there. My 100% A became a B because she took off so many points. I WORKED FULL TIME. It didn't matter that I knew the course work as well as she did, oh no, she wanted to make sure I was THERE, because THAT was what really counted.
@@rs5570a lot didn't pay, financial aid did.
"They already know" -this. I had a teacher in my prac go on about preparing kids for the 'real hardships of life'. I asked her what she thought I, still in uni, had faced. She said I hadn't faced any real hardship cause I was young... I have CPTSD. Telling her that taught her nothing
I truly wish more teachers and professors were like you. I asked for video versions of my 3rd grader's online class during quarentine, but the administration and teachers refused. They also refused to acknowledge her ADHD diagnosis and shamed & isolated her (and me) for having a hard time. I switched her to another school and her teacher is WONDERFUL this year. She makes accommodations for her even though she still doesn't have an official 504 plan for her ADHD. She's a rare gem of a wonderful educator, just like you. Her son is autistic. It makes so much difference when someone knows the struggles of being Neurodivergent and/or caring for a loved one who is.
Thank you for being such a loving mother. I have taught young children. I don’t have my own kids but if I did I would NOT put them in a public school. No way. Not unless I have video & audio access to my child every second. Even when you put your DOG in a dog daycare you can usually have 24/7 video access to what your dog is doing & how they’re being treated. That this isn’t done in schools is insanity. I would’ve welcomed this as a teacher of 3rd graders. You watch me every second that I’m caring for your child. Instead wr have parents sneaking microphones in their child’s hair & clothing as they know a teacher is abusing their child & want proof. Precious little children!
I was hospitalized with preeclampsia and was being induced. I was scared, sick and in labor.
My husband messaged his professor for a extension on an assignment due the next day. He gave him 24 hours. My husband was literally doing homework the entire time I was in labor and after our son was born in the hospital room with our brand new baby instead of being there to support me through the most difficult time of my life.
Wow, how sad for all of you. People like this are ridiculous.
Watching this just reawakened a specific recurring memory of my entire time in the school system of my mother telling me repeatedly that I "won't have the crutches of special accommodations in *the real world"* ...
Funnily enough, you can get reasonable accommodations at work that are legally protected. You just have to have a diagnosed disability, which is a bigger hurdle to overcome than I thought it world be.
I really don't quite get the parents who manage to think that school is some lovely protected island of the blessed where nothing bad happens. I don't know, maybe if your father was the golden boy of the football team. But have teens really changed so much that Mom never came in contact with mobbing, or bitchiness, or being shamed for not wearing the right clothing or being to good / too bad a student?
I have difficulties believing it.
The real world is nowhere near as much of an asshole as the systems managing the education of children.
I’m a retired media studies and music prof, and I spent the last ten years of my career in the UK. EVERY SINGLE THING you said is not only true, but also basically true in the UK, too.
This is one of the reasons that I love your channel so much!
I lived in London for 10 years. I learned that the “public” schools - meaning lower grades, not private schools, if you follow me, were torturing children. Like Pink Floyd’s The Wall. Humiliations of 7 yr olds, stuff like that. Kids committing suicide over these teachers. It could be bad back when in the US, too. But it’s very different now. The kids are very protected from this abuse, for the most part.
Thousands of years ago all my professors were rigid, unrelenting & authoritative bullies. It does a heart good to see a professor with empathy & compassion who uses fantastic teaching skills so that a student can learn to be able to reach the 🌟 's.
Oh yes. 64 here getting ready to start law school and remembering nightmarish bullies as professors. We had 2 classes to decide to drop. You have a jerk on your hands you had to figure it out fast. Scary.
What kind of stars? Not everything should be easy.
As a former high school French teacher who now works as an international student advisor at a university, I see professors do things that would get most K-12 teachers a performance plan if not fired. I am glad to see more people who teach in higher ed evaluate the structural barriers that often add little to learning.
Miserable, miserable people with access to the lives of others this way. I’ve seen it, experienced it. Indecency, inhumanity. And getting paid to dish it out.
I'm an adult who probably won't get her associate's degree before her children do. You make me cry. I have argued with teachers who relied on computer programs to teach children that it was not working for my kid. I have had to tell health teachers that consistently misgendering trans children puts them at risk for suicide. I had a literature teacher try to "fix" my kid with a completley inappropriate assignment even though she (my kid) was attending appropriate mental health appointments outside of school. I had her moved to a different class. And the best next year I refused that teacher on my middle child's schedule. They (administrators) tried, and failed, to block my demands. But there's good teachers, great teachers in this world. Educators who introduce themselves to a new class with their pronouns. Administrators and staff who listen to learn rather than to reply. Social workers and counselors who advocate and work for the students, not the district.
Thank you for being someone that I would not have to show my mama bear side. Also... maybe you've seen it? A wonderful Ted talk called "the power of not yet." I think... my memory isn't so good, but it's a great talk that gives me hope.
It's so good to hear you speaking out against this. As an affiliate faculty (we voted out the term "adjunct" because what we do doesn't fit the definition of "extraneous") there's an unequitable distribution of power, leaving those of us most affected by policies, etc. with the least ability to push back, question, or challenge. If the tenured faculty could push, too, more might change. However, many don't care enough to speak out because they get their salary regardless of what happens.
You have just completely changed my opinion on “the real world”. I too teach students living in poverty, first generation Americans and multi-lingual learners. Thank you for your insight. It is much appreciated.
I mean, even for your students that don't fall into those categories, you don't know their lives prior to your class. Heck, you don't really know what's going on with them while they're in your class.
We students know the real world, we've been here since we were born. We don't spring, fully formed, from Nirvana straight into college.
This compilation came at a perfect time as I'm just now realizing it for myself. My professor is gaslighting me and there is nothing I can do about it. Your students are lucky to have you! And I hope your college appreciates you enough.
Wow. That’s scary. I’m getting ready to start law school in my 60s. I don’t know what the temp is in these classrooms now. But I remember being f’ed over by instructors a couple of times who should’ve been tortured to death. Uh. Not really. Yes really.
@@rs5570 It really depends on the instructor. This quarter I had a professor in computer science class that was super supportive and kind, I felt welcome in his class and office hour and also learned a lot, and then I had a math professor who is on some kind of power trip, and gaslighted me over and over. In any case, whats important is to do your thing and keep pursuing your dream, remember your purpose, and don't let one bad professor ruin your life. I just do everything I can and try to be kind to myself about it, because life is hard and the fact that I am still in school and about to graduate is already a success. And the fact that you are going back to school to pursue a dream is amazing and I wish you all the best! Dont be afraid! It will be worth it when you make it through.
You have every right to take this to the department chair for whatever course this is! I know it can be intimidating, but there *is* a chain of accountability within Universities. It's not guaranteed to work (there are good & bad people at every level of University faculty/staff), but please know you have options if you have the mental & physical energy to fight this!
@@rs5570 My best advice would be to use Ratemyprofessor before enrolling each semester. There are flaws, but overall it helped me a ton.
Some professors will have low ratings, but always be sure to read the reviews on why. There were some low-rated professors I purposefully chose exactly for the same reasons other people rated them low, and vice versa.
Such as, someone giving a low rating because they're not a good test-taker and the professor gives many tests--wouldn't bother me since I'm a great test-taker.
And then there's many bullets you'll dodge, low-rated professors rated because they lose assignments yet blame the students for not turning them in, etc.
But, sometimes only one professor for that subject will be available to enroll that semester, so at least you can mentally prepare yourself a bit for what's in store.
@@rs5570 research how your university does faculty reviews, are they student based or something else? Where are they specifically going to in admin?
For example, my university's online programme has a student based review every term on each of our professors where we have to write in specifically what was done well, not well, could improve, etc. We can put our name or remain anonymous, however, we are protected by the dean's office to do so. The faculty being reviewed cannot interfere with the review process nor can they access it while you are filling it out. They also receive them after final grades, so no chance of 'punishment' because of your review. We also can vote on and give reasons why, a professor should be nominated as best overall for the term as well. I really liked this one, because I didn't know how much recognition they normally received but I wanted them to be recognised for their work.
I wanted to cry so hard when I heard they already know. I get so angry in my own communities of people who struggle hearing them say it's already too late when a boy is only 10 years old. It can't already be too late he has double his life before he's even an adult. He has skills and hes a powerful force let's just redirect that energy because they're worth it. All of them who are barely teenagers and already been written off. Give them a chance. They already know the worst of life, show them some kindness
My interpreting degree’s dept head was a legend in teaching, her work as an interpreter AND researcher… and her ZERO tolerance for basically anything.
First semester she showed me Mercy, and none of the upperclassman believed me. For me though it shaped me a lot in a positive way… Everyone in my class was terrified of her, and to be clear I was too! But I ALSO knew she was kind. She was strict and firm, but again, first semester I learned she really cared about me/the others and wanted me to be healthy.
Sophomore year I began class on the heels of a serious trauma- like considered leaving school- and the ONLY class I did ANY of the reading for was hers. It gave me purpose that year.
Senior year, at the very beginning of the year she asked me into her office. Of course I was terrified- what had I done?? She sat me down and said “Let’s be honest here. We’re both know what sort of student you are, and what sort of Interpreter you’re becoming. And you have what it takes.”
I think I might have cried. She terrified me, but oh my gosh I also loved her to pieces BECAUSE I knew she cared about and believed in me, DURING my darkest days.
I totally agree with you about the student reviews--I had math teacher in college that I absolutely ADORED. She was super accommodating, offered tons of office hours, if there was stuff on a test that a good portion of the class just wasn't quite getting, she'd go and re-teach those concepts and give us a reasonable deadline to "correct" our tests on our time to earn back points, for tests in trig and calc, she would allow us a note card to write formulas/equations because actually knowing how to apply/manipulate those was more important than just rote memorizing them. She would spend as much time as possible explaining stuff in class if we asked for it with tons of examples and demonstrating how multiple concepts were related. She is hands down one of the best teachers I have had in my entire education experience. I walked into her Algebra I class thinking I was terrible at math...no, I wasn't, I was just used to teachers blasting through a lesson with one example of each thing and relying on the book to teach and being shamed for doing poorly. I did Algebra I & II, trig, and calc I with her and aced all of it because she was a bomb teacher. Now, her ratings...when I went to write mine up, I scrolled through the existing ones for her. Honestly, the majority of her ratings were merely racist complaints about her accent with absolutely no recognition of how thoroughly she knew her field, how much she cared, and that she was willing to bend over backward to help us learn. It was heartbreaking.
My personal favorite review of mine on Rate My Professor when I was a grad assistant teaching English composition was a student telling me I was fashion challenged and “not that cool.” The semester I had that student in class? In addition to teaching for what worked out to below minimum wage when actual hours put in were used and my own full course load as a grad student, I was between 4 and 8 months pregnant. One of my “extra credit” assignments was a “name the baby” persuasive paragraph. I had a “bump” when class started - by the end, I had a basketball, gestational diabetes, and I waddled. Let me tell you - there may be “cool” or “fashionable” maternity clothes - but not on a grad assistant budget that needs clothing to go from the coldest part of Midwestern winter through to spring/early summer (your basic -10F-70F temperature range). Tent like tops, maternity jeans/khakis, and the pair of tennis shoes I sacrificed because they stretched out to accommodate my swelling feet - I was a fashion don’t give a f$!k as long as it’s comfortable. And that’s why I stopped reading comments on Rate My Professor…
My husband just sent me a link to your video, and as a Graduate Teaching Assistant, I love everything you're saying! I did a Masters in Adult Education before my PhD, and as part of it I did an independent study course looking at the teaching training that university history professors had received. The results were startling. Hardly anyone I interviewed or read about in my research actually had training or education on teaching or the field of education.
My SO teaches ESL in LA and all I can say is you’re dropping multiple truth bombs here! So many people would be shocked to learn how the poorest in our society struggle to live day-to-day. A little compassion, while a nice break for them, won’t make them forget “the real world!” But hey, (and I’m just dreaming a little here) wouldn’t it be great if compassion was the norm and rough was the anomaly?
❤ your content. It’s always spot on!
Edit: Forgot to mention that I nicknamed my adjunct professors Freeway Flyers. Most of them are fantastic instructors, and I don’t know how colleges & universities would survive without them.
It took me six years and several major mental health crises just to get through my undergrad. My adhd was undiagnosed and I thoroughly hated college from beginning to end, it felt like I was constantly screwing everything up and barely made it out in the end. And I gotta say it's really making me feel a type of way to think how different things might have been if I'd ever had a professor like you.
And seriously, thank god for adjunct professors, I would never have learned differential equations without all of their insanely hard work lol
I'm a mature student with more than a handful of mental and physical disabilities. Recently I was nearing the end of my Third attempt at finishing my university degree. I requested accommodations in my final two classes for which I had one assignment left before completing the classes and successfully graduating (I got an extension and had been working on only these assignments for upwards of 3 months, full-time, to no success). Despite being registered with disability services and never having previously taken advantage of them, I was told NO by both of my professors along with two different administration staff, none of whom gave me an actual reason for their ruling. I didn't finish those classes. I did not graduate.
I truly hope we start seeing more teachers like you in schools. Maybe then I'll finally get my degree 🙃
You are not alone. I'm there with you. Of course we don't want to use services if we can manage without. Even though we should because what happened to you and I later is deemed untrustworthy. That's one hell of a problem. I hope we get to graduate. We deserve it.
This is insanity. I am so upset hearing this for a host of personal reasons that go beyond the scope of a YT comment. But I RELATE. I had to go through hell to get my BA as a mature student who became ill before I graduated. I’m so sorry. Please go back to school if you’re up to it. I could likely be your mother & I’m starting grad school (again). Give it a try. ♥️
Yeah, they can’t legally do that once it’s documented. You could sue.
I would threaten to take them to court
Great stuff!
Also, did anyone catch that the closed captioning caught the first "neurodivergent" but the second one became "nerd virgin" 😂😂
I'm a current sociology student and this is inspiring me to research our university systems more ❤️❤️
You will find dark holes and so much injustice. It's basically how the systems in the entire western world are build through centuries. I root for you and hope it will become your passion. We all need good research and published materials to learn from. 👍👍👍👍
@@charisma-hornum-fries I empathize and want to say that more study and more research will help. But, it feels like our institutions are so entrenched that even scientific proof won't change it. Power consolidation and power's self-defense is a bedrock principle of our society. From politics, to corporations, to education, power protects itself.
Thank you. I was a first-generation college student. When I entered my first semester, I didn't have any guidance or help. I had been living on my own since I was 17 years old, and I was very fortunate to be able to do so. At one point, I was working 3 jobs as a waitress/cashier. Two of those jobs were at breakfast stores, so the hours were 6 am to 2:30 pm. Then, I worked the late shift at IHOP from 4 pm to midnight. I did that 6 days a week the summer I was 17. I needed to save up as much as possible so I wouldn't be homeless. The summer I was 18 was even more difficult. A week after I graduated from high school, my brother was murdered. My entire world shattered around me. I lived 2 blocks away from where my brother was murdered so I moved as fast as I could. I couldn't return to that neighborhood for the longest time. I started my first semester 2 months after my brother's death. It was a completely new environment at college. No one knew what I was dealing with in my personal life. If it weren't for kind professors, I would have never made it to graduation. Thank you again 🥰
As a person with hearing loss, chronic migraines and ADHD who returned to school last year at 53 to study engineering, I want to say thank you for your attitude toward accommodations. I had to drop a calculus class this last term because they had a ridiculous homework requirement of literally assignments due every single day except Friday and two due each on Saturday and Sunday. Even though I have accommodations in place, there was no way that I could have kept up with my other classes and ever caught up with that one. I'm taking it again next term with a different instructor. I've been fortunate that other than that class, I've had very accommodating instructors and most of the time don't even have to officially ask for accommodations. I wish every professor understood like you do.
Very good stuff, I'll recommend this to my brother and friends going In for education. Btw another accommodation that you wouldn't think had to be made, typing. I struggle to write due to a hand problem ive had since birth. Never have I been told till one of my lecture classes that I needed to get an accommodation for that. Even in high-school lol. Laptops make things easier.
You are unbelievable! Someone needs to say it so I guess it's gonna have to be me 🙄... you're a cool dude! Love the content. Keep it coming. 😂
Love the captioning of neurodivergent professor as “nerd virgin professor”
I got an email this year ‘Yo! I am missing class today’ 🤦♀️
I have had the opposite experience with our college. Every policy they are making seems to be to just pass the kids whether they are learning or not. I want them to learn otherwise what is the point of throwing so much money to get a degree! I hate it when students fail and have one of the lowest fail rate in my class. Those that fail did nothing - didn’t study, didn’t attend class and didn’t use the multiple chances to boost grades. So if they do bare minimum they will pass. 🤷♀️
This scares me as widespread as these practices are. My mentor was one of the top billed professors at the university, let alone business college, he was the one companies went to for good, hardworking employees/potential graduates. He helped those who the business college staff gave up on just because they were struggling and they turned around to be one of the company’s reported top workers. He was chased out from the university to “retire” because he refused to conform to their standards and kowtow to their bullying. I say this as someone who witnessed bullying and toxic practices by the university itself.
I’m a PhD student in aerospace engineering right now and my friend and I discuss these things endlessly about how we will teach some day. We have the best advisor ever, he does everything in his power to advantage his students and is constantly reminding us that if it weren’t for us he wouldn’t have this job and he wouldn’t have produced so much research. He’s been offered numerous dean, provost, & president positions at more prestigious universities but wants to teach in Buffalo because that’s where he was in undergrad. He wants to give back. On the first day of his class he told us he had a deal for us. If we are engaged in class and participate, ask questions and challenge him, there will be no exams and no due dates. The entire course was project based. This requires everyone to learn how to properly manage their time, to communicate effectively, to ask for what is needed, and to get really great at applying the concepts we learned in the course. He structured the course like a job and because of it we all have a great interest and work hard for him. When I go to job interviews literally anywhere I have been in the country and I mention that I am his student people are instantly so impressed because he is the world leading expert in his field. He is the professor I want to be when I teach aerospace engineering, but I’m also going to take lots of inspiration from you. ❤️
My son was given a dyslexia assessment right before the covid shut downs (like literally a week before). He has dyslexia, dyscalculia, and dysgraphia. He had his first official 504 accommodation like a year and a half later for in person school. He had one math teacher who literally just did many of the things that were on his list, but she did them for everyone. She was his favorite teacher by far. He said her already implementing those things made him feel less awkward and less like he needed to bug her for stuff. How huge for a middle schooler. But equally huge in your classes because those college kids also don't want to feel awkward or they're too busy to remember to get the right accommodation or they don't want to bug you. So thank you for doing the right thing! And so many kudos to you.
Omg! I love you. Thank you for being an example of what teaching SHOULD BE!!! Compassion with teaching.
Also, I have had so many of THOSE professors who were clearly never required to take the classes that I was required to take as a teacher hopeful
I love that you put the center part in there to cheer us up after the more serious discussions.
Yes, THIS! Thank you! I've been wanting to make content about so many of these topics--glad you're doing it for us. I would add "I don't care what students do with their cell phones in my class because if I can't keep their attention, that's on me--it's my job, right?" It's such a a privilege to do what we do ☺️
It's really funny, when I was going to University of Iowa in the mid 90's a Republican law maker decided that too many Professors were not teaching which is their "job " I was like, no it's not. Some of these professors bring in WAY more money in research grants. And they passed a law saying that professors have to teach so many classes a semester. And tuition has sky rocketed since I graduated in 1999.
Yes!!!!! SO much yes in this! So glad I found this channel.
I used to teach high school back when accommodations etc were new so I saw the backlash up close. I now do adult ed & college/vocational teaching and brought in a lot of this stuff re exams, accommodations, etc much to my elder colleagues dismay (lol). 100% right that we're now getting better work from the students. And this is professional certification training, so we're turning out better pros in our industry too!
I went back to uni a few years ago for a masters degree and because I was a mature student with an education background some of my own uni professors started seeking teaching advice from me. In chatting with them (and also some up-coming younger ones who heard about me) I realized they were all frustrated AF (and a few were outright terrified) with having had ZERO teaching & pedagogy training. All great researchers & writers, no question on that! They were kind-hearted people who wanted to do a good job and they knew they were unprepared. Glad I could help those few, but it's definitely a systemic problem.
I'm in the same boat as you. I was adjuncting for 4 years, and finally received a non-tenure position bc of my policies. I'm at a Jr college that encourages accessibility, so my students never worried about timed tests, having cameras on during rtv... The list goes on. However, I don't accept late work. Instead, I allow unlimited extra credit, and with 20 points, they can completely replace a missing or low grade with one they excelled in. It's simply bc I don't want them to feel like they can never catch up to where the class is. The extra credits are things like movie, book and game reviews, interpreting songs and going to events. I'm an English prof, so it works for my course. We also have a mental health day where I truly check on them, and then we play games for extra credit. As an educator, I'm always growing. I'm always asking my students how to make the class more accessible so no one feels targeted or less than by not being able to afford OSD testing. Some of us are growing. It's nice to see the ones who are speak up!
What you said about your students actually knowing how hard the real world is got to me. That thought never crossed my mind. It has given much to think about and I hope I never forget this fact when I am teaching in my own classroom.
The "real world" CAN BE compassionate--it's all about who your boss is, & what your company is like. I stayed where I am because my manager had compassion for me during a dark time for my family. I am management now, and I continue that compassion. And wouldn't you know, people stay with you, and work hard for you, if you show compassion and loyalty toward them.
thank you for not policing the way students speak. when i was 12 i moved from southern Georgia to Virginia. The students AND the staff at my new school bullied me mercilessly for my accent, pretending they couldn't understand me and treating me like i was stupid. eventually i trained the accent out of myself almost entirely. now as an adult i realize that the majority of them absolutely were just pretending they couldnt understand me b/c i grew up in a navy town and attended a church that got new missionaries twice a year at least. i frequently came in contact with people form other parts of the country and the world. my accent was never a problem for any of those people, it was only a problem once i moved to a place where most people didnt sound like me.
You don’t mention or tag the AAVE creator that you tell us to follow.
Gezus this video was PERFECT. ...YOU are the one that actually deserves to be told: THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE (as a content creator and a teacher).
As a (multi) chronically ill person dependent on a wheelchair, my experiences of College is mixed. When I started my B.S I wasn't ill but gradually became ill over the course of the first year. My classmates were all friendsly and included me in all the study groups and so on, everyone said hi and it was fun. The more sick I got the less they seemed to care. And once I got my wheelchair people stoped talking to me. I stoped getting invited to study groups and most of my classmates pretended like I didn't even exist. My teachers were all a hit and miss. Some actually spent time and effort helping me pass the class, others gave me a good grade because "They felt sorry for me". Give me an A if I deserve it, not because I'm in a wheelchair! Some teachers were super rigid about the accommodations while others were like you, gave me all the time and help I wanted. One gave me 6 months to hand in an exam.
We had teachers who were so spaced out and only cared about their research. Most of the time they didn't even care about the lessons and spent it mostly talking about their research that had nothing to do with the subject at hand. And then we had the amazing teachers who made it fun to learn (the fact that one had the looks of a supermodel, always dressed propper and nice and was super charming had nothing to do with it).
It's been 5 years sine I stared my 3 year studies to get a Batchelors in Personnel managment - Psychology. I'm still not done. Why? Because one professor who just refused to help me with my final essay. She frefused to read and give me feedback even though she was my supervisor. So in the end I missed two deadlines and when I tried to hand it in the College ghosted me. Like no one replied to my emails, no professor, no admin no nobody. I'm just one essay away from my degree and I can't finnish due to the school bullying me because the professor didn't appreciate me pointing out that she wasn't doing her job.
I appreciate you and all that you do to actually teach and care for your students and showing the world how it should be.
I am a first year instructor, and have found immeasurable value in your content!
I've just retired after 40 years at a top rated University. I'm going to share this video with several of my friends. Everything you say is SO true! How many times I've heard Prof.s/Instructors say, "I'm getting push back from the University because my grades don't follow a "Bell Curve". (ie a certain number of failures and a limited number of "A's") 99% of them say, "then I must be doing a good job and my students are also motivated and paying attention and learning what I'm trying to teach them". Also, this University advertises & prides itself in hiring Prof.s who have lots of experience in their field. Means nothing about their ability to actually teach. I've also seen this University (who's tuition is almost $54,000/year) hire Grad students to teach certain classes. If they were good teachers, that'd be fine. I'm not saying they're hired as a Grad Assistant, they are hired as THE Instructor for that class. One class I can't forget was a young woman who passed out a "worksheet" every class, not only telling them their project for the day, but step by step instructions about how to achieve it. She didn't lecture and give hands on practice then allow questions for the benefit of the entire class. Just a work sheet and going around and answering individual questions. Hey, I'm all for making sure students are clear what their assignment is, but I don't believe Instructors should do the work for them! Yes, help and support as needed, but this isn't High School. It's not even Middle School! It's a University class and they should have basic skills before they enter that particular class. (to clarify, it was a computer design class using PhotoShop, which all students had already taken.) Another point is, for this class, students were playing apx $3500. I just shook my head. And, yes, some of the best Instructors I've seen have been Adjuncts. Who were often hired and given NO information about the class they were teaching. No previous Curriculum, projects the class had done. Nada. I'm sorry, this isn't supposed to be an essay. Just wanted to say, "Yes! and Yes.. And, yes! that too!"
I had understanding professors like you in college. The leeway they did give me when things were rough meant i didnt want to dissapoint them when i could do my work, so i hustled. So did everyone else who wanted to be there. People who didnt want to be there slept in class, and no amount of yelling or agression from the professor changed any of that
I absolutely LOVE this. Thank u for being you. We need more ppl who give a genuine f. I went to college for a brief stint. I was a really quiet kind d but once i got to college, i learned to ask questions. Any and every, even more than once if i needed it to stick. My professors answered EVERY question i had. I loved it. My middle & high school teachers never had the time or patience. It was a community college so i didn't feel pressure to be a genius. If I'm paying a person to teach me, what I'm learning is literally valuable.
3:05 fucking GUTTED me. Some people really have no concept of what's going on with other people
I was trying to think of a way to communicate why I’m so impressed with your content. I couldn’t get past “you get it.” Then I realized that is exactly the reason.
"They KNOW how hard it is" 😢😭 we do. *Most* of my college profs were amazing and gave me accommodations based on my very messed up family situation. I graduated and went on to work with an organization that I have been with for over a decade now. The professors didn't ruin me. They opened doors for me and provided the bridge I needed.
I’m the daughter of a one of those toxic professors (he mostly does research, but was still “stuck” teaching a class once every 3 semesters until he became a professor emeritus). He was also a heinous parent.
On the contrary, my two best instructors when I went to university were both adjuncts at the University at Albany in Upstate New York.
I feel this video 100% both as a former student and as someone who is familiar with the politics on the other side of the desk.
Thank you for doing what you do here!
This is what I've been saying for years! I'm in my senior year of college and have not had any help because I have not been able to get diagnosed due to financial and logistical reasons. A lot of my friends are diagnosed with various disorders and have gotten so much more help (when they're not still afraid to ask for it).
I've had a few really, really good professors but I always feel like I have to beg for mercy when I need to ask them for an extension, because most professors have just shit all over me when I asked them. In the last year or so, I've become so anxious about it, that I don't even ask.
I'm a better student that most. Since I can't keep up with lectures, I read every reading thoroughly. I fail while student who don't even buy the book pass. I'm a slow reader so that alone takes hours a week per class that I could be spending on homework but if I didn't read, I won't learn anything from the class even if I pass. The constant ups and downs of my executive dysfunction makes it impossible for me to keep up with schoolwork and the rest of my responsibilities, so something always falls through the cracks.
Neurotypical people think I professors should be harder on us to make us "care more," because for me, my anxiety is through the roof over every single one of my responsibilities and anxiety has only ever made me less functional. If you can't care about something unless there are consequences, that's your problem. Everyone else shouldn't have to be treated that way at the expense of our well-being.
This makes my professor heart happy.
I feel very mixed about the disability support services at my college.
It took me until my senior year to ask for this support because I struggle with understanding and accepting how much my adhd really makes me struggle.
I finally signed up (it took months because I procrastinated on every form they gave me) and I barely use my accommodations. I don’t need extra time on tests, I need audio books so I can process what I read better. But they said I’d have to get a note from my doctor for that specific one. I still haven’t done that cause I’m stressed out and executive function is really difficult.
And that’s the hardest thing about these services. From the way to register to how to use their accommodations, it all requires me to do things that are related to the exact reason I need help. It’s like telling a deaf person that they can get accommodations after calling the office. The accommodations can be really useful but it requires me struggling through what I need accommodations for.
Edit: I will say though, the disability support services have made my life easier in one very significant way. It made my professors aware of how a struggle. They know that I struggle and even if they don’t know to what extent, if I tell them that I’m having trouble and I need something, they understand. Now, this is partially because I’ve got some great professors this semester. But it helps.
I'm a "non-traditional" student (aka I'm 31, work full-time, study part-time online) with autism and ADHD, and finally getting disability accommodations has been a HUGE gamechanger for my academic performance. I'm hoping to become a professor someday, and I find your content super helpful in figuring out what kind of instructor I want to be! Thank you!
You are SO SPOT ON about the adjunct professor stuff. My best teacher when I was in community college was an adjunct. When I finished his class, I deliberately signed up to take the next level (even though I didn’t need it for my degree), and I stayed on as a note-taker for a disabled student in yet another of his classes. Learned so much, and had fun doing it, which was a first for me, I hated school until I got to college.
As a trafficking survivor with severe PTSD, I would not have my degree without my IEP. It saved me over and over and you could see the teachers who understood were the best ones, whilst the very few who didn't want to abide didn't even know their own subject matter. My professors talked me up like hell because they knew I worked my ass off and appreciated what they do. That made it easier to get a job focusing on something I love and avoiding the triggers I would get working somewhere like a bar or restaurant where I was constantly spoken down to and sexually harassed. Which would lead to hospitalizations even tho people love to minimize triggers. Because of my IEP and my professors I get to spend more time recovering and living moments I love, as well as succeeding in the "real world." I just wanted to say many people rely on kindness and understanding to make it through the worst times. If you believe no one in the real world has those traits, the problem might be you.
This man makes me wish I could have gone to college but I know teachers like him are rare, I've never had a teacher believe in me.
That's horrible! Your writing is good, I can tell from your comment.
I believe in you, and if you don't make it to college so what? That's ok. Just keep on learning all you can every day. If you are subscribed to this channel, you are learning a lot. I certainly am learning a lot from the videos AND the comments!💖
I have online accommodation that allows me to turn in my individual work up to 2 days late because of my ADHD and Bipolar 1.
The only time I use this is when the REAL WORLD gets in the way of my schooling. Usually my job. In the past few years deaths and illness have also been involved. It's more often my job than my mental health or "disabilities".
I don't need a college professor to teach me how the real world is. I live in it. I need them to understand that I live in the real world and I'm trying to better my position in it, and occasionally I need an extra day to finish my paper because I've worked 70 hours this week.
You're amazing.
I think "Gee, he always looks a little like he's been crying". Then, after watching an hour of your videos (and going thru a full box of tissues), I'm like "Of COURSE he looks like he's been crying - he's a DECENT HUMAN BEING" - Love you!
I was a Disabled student and one of the top staff at the Disability center at my university told me that the university loves Disabled students (not helping them, btw) because it takes them/us so much longer to graduate (because they don't really help us that much) so they get more money out of us.
Don't go to Humboldt State, now Cal Poly Humboldt unless you have lots of help outside of the school as there's none guaranteed inside the school.
EDIT: I really should have said that unusual or expensive disabilities aren't accommodated and been specific. They are starting to take care of needs that are regularly asked for, and it's only just sad watching how resistant some profs can seem to a very few getting a smidgen of leeway.
I _wish_ I had a teacher like you. As someone who probably has ADHD and cannot do stuff in a panic anymore because my body just shuts down, I would appreciate a teacher like you so much. Someone who can keep me accountable but also shows their students compassion when they can't get stuff done on time.
I want to start teaching once I complete my studies so I can be the teacher I needed. One that works for the student rather than the college administration.
I have strong opinions about this. I have been out of college for over a decade, but I remember…
I would like to compare 2 math professors from college. One was a big wig. The other was a fresh baby, still in her 20s. And the latter was by far the better teacher.
I am not very good at math, but as a scientist, I needed at least a little for my schooling.
The young professor taught Calculus and took the time to grade our work by hand, giving credit for work shown. If you had the math right for 3 out of 4 steps, you got partial credit. Made a B+ in the class and freakin adored her.
Big wig taught physics and gave 10 question multiple choice tests. No credit for work shown. She had a grad student pump through scantrons at the machine and that was that. I consistently got 7/10 on every single test. Thought that I had made a C- and was sobbing like a baby. A couple of weeks later, the university reached out to say that they were making Big Wig curve everyone up part of a letter grade, so my C- became a C, and I was still able to go to grad school (I was terrified that making a C- in a course would ruin my shot). I HATE that woman to this very day. HATE. Her laziness really hurt her students.
When you see (higher) education as a way to actually educate people (as so many *good* educators do), accommodations seem eminently practical and reasonable. Sadly, the practical application of education in the US today is to condition future workers to accept arbitrary rules and practices without question or pushback, leading educational institutions to alienate the good professors. I see it, understand it, but unfortunately I don't know how we change it! 😣
Thank you for centering the students in your work! Be well!
"they already know" you could just hear how much none of it he was having.
I was an adjunct for 5 years, and was only able to make ends meet because I also had a job at the uni as a staff member in an adjacent department. I never got blamed for too many students getting an A, but there were so many university policies that made my life difficult. Even though it is fairly common for tenured faculty to "wear more than one hat" (associate dean, faculty senate, etc), they treated me like a criminal for doing it. I think it benefitted my students that I had the knowledge of the adjacent department, and that I was an adjunct who had 2 jobs on one campus instead of running around the city teaching at different unis. (Meaning I could meet with students at times that worked for them) But the uni always saw it as stealing their money and time, even though I got all my work done and both of my supervisors gave me top marks on evaluations.
Also if you're a student, please know that there's a high likelihood that your non-teaching staff is not treated well. Much of that kind of labor is invisible, and in student affairs they will pay you below living wage and require working outside business hours "for the students." It's a very toxic system, and those who work at good unis or in good departments are very lucky.
My mom’s fiancé died in my 2nd semester of college. His family handed us an eviction notice two days after. I’m surprised I only failed one class. We had found the body and I was so in shock that a week later I told my art professor, “I’m ok. I didn’t even know human flesh could be that color.” Luckily, this professor took it in stride and told me the story of his friend who had died in a pig sty.
As a high school teacher, I *hate* when people tell me I’m not “preparing kids for the real world.” First of all, I’m a Career and Technical Education teacher, so preparing kids for the real world is literally my only job. Second of all, the real world is not about essays and multiple choice tests that are due when you’re out sick.
In the late 1980s my graduating class resorted more and more to cassette taping lectures in theory classes because taking notes was so distracting that we had a hard time truely listening to the concepts and writing down accurate and detailed notes. By year two we were able to convince some of our most intense theory professors to allow copies of their lecture notes and outlines be printed up for purchase at the bookstore as part of the syllabus. We could write in a few new concepts while focusing on active listening and participating in the lectures. By year three it became the standard practice. After that, successful "A" grades became the new norm where it matters the most. We were a University Bachelors of Science in Nursing college, we don't grade on a curve.
Former university educator checking in - one university did exactly this and i won't name them here BUT i moved to teaching at the University of New Orleans and was rewarded when the majority of my students passed and were joyful. University cultures are soooo important. Visit on a day when it's Not "tour" day to find the good ones
Professors recording lectures for students during the pandemic showed me how much I could have benefited from that years ago. I still attended physical class for these classes with recorded lectures, but they would post the recording up after and I would find that despite trying my best to pay attention and take notes, I still missed so much. So being able to rewatch it, made a massive difference to my grades and grasp of the subjects. Just recording sound did not benefit me as much (but still better than nothing), because physically seeing their powerpoints would helped me orientate where we were in my notes. Only for this last year and a half of college have I had an ADHD diagnosis and treatment. Getting through lectures and retaining things was a huge struggle in my first degree because this wasn't a thing. I had a 2.5 GPA then. I have made the Dean's Honor Roll or higher each semester with this second degree even while going to school full time and working at least 30 hours a week through most of it. I can't imagine how much harder the classes before my treatment (senior level classes due to it being a second degree) would have been without those video recordings.
Where do you teach, Professor? Because seriously, I am 56 years old and you make me want to go back to school and take your classes. ❤
He is not able to reveal that on a CZcams channel, but he is in LA. He is very inspiring.
Thank you for speaking out about these issues. I see so many problems in society I don't even know where to begin. When you formulate the problems and present them in video format it reaches so far and that's awesome. I just want the world to be a better place for everybody, it's a real bummer there is so much resistance to it.
You are such a good person .
Your content is obviously from the heart.
You can tell that you care for your students, your daughters, your wife
And thst you care about everyone.
I love listening to you. In my 50's, took some college but, I struggled being a Mom, working, but, would have done so much better if i had an understanding & encouraging Professor. Your videos never disappoint, thank you for sharing.
I'm losing it, laughing. As a neuro-divergent myself, and one who appreciates the use of subtitles personally and works with those who are hearing impaired.... "Nerd Virgin" instead of neuro-divergent is the single BEST CC mistake I've EVER seen.
Side note, you're awesome; keep up the great work!
I had a professor who wanted me to get a doctors note for missing his class when I was severely sick with the flu to the point I couldn’t even get up from bed. After some pushback he dropped the “unexcused” absence. Guess he didn’t like to be called out on his BS
LOVE this, keep being an amazing person and educator!
In my Sophomore year of High School, I was in Geometry (which was a junior class in my new high school), I have always been terrible about homework unless it's a concept I needed more work on (This practice goes back to some classes I took in 4th grade). At the beginning of the second semester in the middle of the year, my Geometry teacher announced a new rule, then dramatically loudly announced, with finger pointing, "This new rule is because of KATIE, and TREVOR" while yelling our names. The new rule was that for every missed homework assignment after 8 missed assignments (he gave homework every day that wasn't a test day) would drop our entire grade for the class by a whole letter grade. He did not accept late assignments. I passed the first semester with a B while doing very little of his homework assignments. I failed the second semester while trying very hard to do more of the homework. I understood everything he taught us the whole year (with a little hiccup with proofs due to issues getting the right amount of steps). I passed every one of my tests with A+ ALL year. I was punished for not doing the busy work I didn't have time for (my home life was difficult), and didn't need.
A few years ago I was diagnosed with ADHD, and I found out I am autistic. I was punished for being different.
I have had a math learning disability for my whole life. When I got to college I was told the documentation I had related to my disability "wasn't adequate" I had to spend over a thousand dollars to be evaluated to have the proper documentation. Also, I took the required amount of math classes in highschool but was told the math program my highschool used was not "adequate" so I had to take remedial algebra. I went to the tutor center everyday and still failed the math classes. I wound up dropping out because I couldn't get a passing grade in math. I went to a community college a year later and got an associate degree in library science now I am struggling to get promoted to get out of a toxic work environment.
I lost my sister while attending college classes. My English professor & my yoga instructor met me with empathy & love. They're the reason I returned despite my brokenness. You're an amazing human, and people's lives are better because of you. Thank you.
Accessibility benefits us all. Plain and simple.
Hello dude! I f'ing love all your content. All these are incredible, and they are lucky to have a great professor.
I'm 72 so I've been around long enough to watch colleges and universities go from being a center of higher education to being little more than a center of "office politics" and greed. The corporations who run this country don't want people being well educated. They want people who know how to do specific things rather than independent thinkers. I wish there were many, many more professors like you rather than the newly rising narrow-minded politicians that teach class now.
Thank you so much for this. I'm sure your students were very grateful for how understanding you were towards them. I understand the struggle these students face with less accommodating profs. I went to a "prestigious" university for school, but suffered greatly from a brain injury that left me disabled. I will be forever grateful to the educators who empathized with me, but there were also those who refused to and labeled me a failure for being disabled.
After earning my BA in Technical Theatre Production, I experienced the joy of adjunct professorship at two universities in Ohio teaching stage makeup and stagecraft. The pay, a flat stipend, worked out to less than minimum wage. My students had better income. If not for friends giving me a place to live, I could not have afforded to teach.
Wow! I, also a Speech Prof, do everything that you do for your classes. And... I write thorough rubrics which are posted for students with the instructions. We go over - exactly - how I will grade along with the instructions - all posted in the LMS. I started writing these 15 years ago and I remember showing my department chair one and she said "If you tell them what you want like this, they will all do it." Me: "Isn't that the point?"
Better instruction, instructions, & rubrics = better learning and performance
I tell them on the first day - my goal is for all of you to earn A's because of your awesome work!
And they are definitely skeptical.
My takes as a recently graduated college student:
My favorite professors are the ones who aren't tenured but fight for better policies and ways for students to do well and the tenured ones who gladly do everything against the system to break the harmful guidelines and rules. We need more professors like that, not less, IDK why these institutions are actively working against its teachers and students when we are what keeps the school open.
My heart hurts for and goes out to the poor student who lost their sister to a murderer. I hope they can heal in time. Not the same situation: My friend was murdered in our senior year. She was a semester or two away from getting her bachelors degree. She was on her way to my off-campus house to hang out with one of my housemates when it happened. Another friend and I walked past where it happened 30 or 40 minutes after, unaware at the time, and after a couple of hours, the evidence all clicked together and we knew she was gone. That day still haunts me, and the biggest kicker: The school didn't send out an active shooter threat until 2 hours after. My friend and I - and everyone else who walked by or closely to that area is lucky to be alive today. In a weird way, she's like a guardian angel, her unknowing sacrifice saved everyone else, but I wish it weren't her (or anyone for that matter). Stay safe out there, y'all. 🧡
On a lighter note, thank you once again for being a voice of guidance, wisdom, and leadership, professor! I gladly thank you for every video you publish because you actively support change and use your platform (and your privilege, where you have it) to spread the right messages. So many students and people undoubtedly appreciate you, me included. Never stop being you. 😌😁