>You do not seem to be listening to the strong weight of evidence from those >who have taught longer than you that they too often held such disdain for >students and their "apathy". I strongly urge you, for your own sake and that >of your students, that you stop for a few moments and reflect on the weight >of evidence against the postion you are taking here. I cannot overemphasize >the importance of your keeping in mind that the people on this list have >wide reaching import to your academic success. Payam- PLEASE stop and >reflect carefully on what you are saying to a group of people who may one >day play a significant, but invisible to you, role in whether you get >considered for jobs etc. Respectfully, >
All right - I wanted to stay out of this but I can't anymore. I think the tone and message of this comment is entirely inappropriate for an open forum, where psychology faculty should be comfortable discussing what can be, at times, incredibly frustrating experiences. The vague threat of getting a "bad evaluation" by a listserv is completely antithetical to open, supportive discourse among the list members and if that is what TIPS has become, then I may soon be leaving a list that I've been on for five years. Payam might as well be having this conversation with the Provost of the college. It's true that Payam's style is direct (more direct than is comfortable for some of the people on this list) but the posts also reflect a genuine frustration (and yes, anger) at student behavior that seems far more juvenile than that we expect from college students. I'm glad that many of you have bright, eager students who are fascinated by your classes and eager to learn, but Payam apparently doesn't and needs to express frustration about this and get some ideas for help. Some of you, though, have taken to making cynical comments about Payam's style of writing, number of replies to those comments, and even things from other threads, all of which are not only inappropriate but unhelpful. Some of us, and I *do* include myself, really *are* appalled by the level of disinterest we see in our students. We *have* tried many different techniques to get them engaged in our classes, often to no avail. We don't need to be told to do more of a song and dance or that students have too many outside interests to really do the job of being students. I really would have liked this thread to be on how faculty can buffer themselves against the kind of frustration that this kind of behavior brings. It is *not* always a lack of trying on the part of the faculty member. Students are just as much responsible for their behavior as we are and sometimes recognizing that at least half of the fault lies in the students can be a very important and healthy thing for an instructor to acknowledge. I suggest that everyone stop the threats, the cynicism, and the ad hominem attacks and provide something helpful. Johnna Shapiro -- Johnna K. Shapiro, Ph. D. Assistant Professor of Psychology Illinois Wesleyan University [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
