Update from the Professorial Trenches

I haven't blogged again about how the "tomorrow" that had me nervous in my previous blog post panned out. My bad! Long story short, it's been trying, taxing, and draining but last Wednesday (i.e. April 9) I finally had a class session in which I was able to create some space for a through and through productive conversation with the help of the rest of the class. I'd been making an effort to steer the conversation subtly but I think Wednesday was the first time I decided to use my authority more definitively with respect to the discussion and not just enforcing rules. I have to say it felt good.

This doesn't mean that the two trouble-makers have been reformed but, rather, made painfully aware of the ridiculous unsubstantiated drivel they have been spewing venomously since mid-February. Our class is built around a specific analytical framework which neither of those two have attempted to read, much less understand. Granted they joined the class late but making up the material they missed was their responsibility as I clarified explicitly. One of the students tends to respond better one-on-one during office hours and the subsequent class sees him performing better. The other one continues to miss making appointments, hasn't submitted anything, and is clearly failing the course. I've also just been informed by one of the Associate Deans that both students are 'problem cases' in that other professors on campus have had similar issues with them. Although that makes me feel somewhat better, part of me wishes that I'd known this in advance in order to have adjusted my pedagogical strategies much more quickly and perhaps even more pro-actively.

But back to last Wedneday. Students came to see me during my office hours to let me know how grateful they were for what I did during that class. Of course, my intervention was only possible in the larger context of previous ones but this one felt final. That the students who had, over the weeks, shied away from the conversation with the exception of making remarks here and there now became actively involved feels like a triumph. This is not to say I'm the only one responsible but I did try to actively engineer that and I'm glad it worked.

Am I feeling less despondent? You bet. For those of you who e-mailed, called, or shared their comments - that was certainly enough to make me feel cheery and cared for. Thanks muchly for sharing your thought as well as for your support and concern.

[PS: "You know who" - a blog post is forthcoming in response to your comments on my previous blog-post]