Joan asked, "Do you respond to your students in such a fashion when they ask a question Ed?"
In fact, it is one of my cardinal rules to NEVER make a student question sound stupid. If necessary, I will go out of my way to rephrase the question in such a way that it actually makes it sound as though the student has read and understood the basic assignments ahead of time even when the question suggests otherwise. As for Michael's quip that "I have observed that Ed seems to make students feel stupid by asking questions. This is the second time he has responded to a post submitted on behalf of a student and his response has been a put down of the student. When is he retiring?" There was no put down of the student in any way, shape or form...... in this or in any other post of mine. I merely questioned the premise of the question that "...... If sleeping is defined as being nonreactive to the environment, how are sleepwalkers able to engage in complex tasks (e.g., driving)?" I was responding to the instructor, not the student. And generalizing from this "instructor to instructor" exchange to a broad statement on how I make students feel in a classroom setting, is just plain ridiculous. It is as silly as my suggesting that because Joan & Michael took exception to my initial response, they must be the type of authoritarian instructor who tries to intimidate any student who disagrees with them. I am most certainly not suggesting that because, as I said, it would be a highly illogical and just plain ridiculous generalization. As for when I plan to retire, the answer is May, 2011. Unlike too many of my colleagues, I know when my performance has peaked and I would like to exit gracefully at a point not too far below the zenith of my intellectual & pedagogical prowess. And thanks to a lifetime of relative frugality, a loving wife who works her tuchas off, and a recovering Dow Jones, I can afford to do so. (But I still want my daughter to add that "mother-in-law" apartment to her house when they remodel............ just in case. That Dow Jones guy can be a fickle friend <g>) Ed Edward I. Pollak, Ph.D. Department of Psychology West Chester University of Pennsylvania Office hours: Mondays noon-2 & 3-4; Tuesdays & Thursdays 8-9:15 & 12:30-2 http://home.comcast.net/~epollak/home.htm ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Husband, father, grandfather, biopsychologist, & bluegrass fiddler...... in approximate order of importance. --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=8675 or send a blank email to leave-8675-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
