Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Men Bullying Women, Part II

The first duty of a lecturer—to hand you after an hour’s discourse a nugget of pure truth to wrap up between the pages of your notebooks and keep on the mantelpiece for ever.
Virginia Woolf (1882–1941), novelist

Daughter’s in the Master’s program, her professor started berating the class of eight students, five of whom did not read the assignment because of a miscommunication between what was on the syllabus and what was on the board.

The adjunct professor is 6’4” and in his mid-forties. He started yelling at the students calling them pathetic several times, looking at Daughter and another girl (both are A students and known for their work ethic). After class, Daughter went up to the instructor and apologized for missing the assignment and accepted responsibility, but told him she didn’t think it was right to publicly humiliate them.

Then he increased his level of yelling and said, I have a specific problem with you! If you want to drop the class, I won’t stop you, and lucky for you I grade blindly, so this won’t affect your grade.

Daughter replied, Regardless, I don’t think it’s your place to embarrass us.

I think it is, shouted the instructor.

I respectfully disagree, said Daughter as she calmly walked out of the class.

The next morning, The university’s program director received four e-mails and one voicemail reporting the instructor’s outburst.

Drop or not to drop? The program director has encouraged Daughter to stay in the class and he will review her appeal, if one is necessary.

3 comments:

Jack Steiner said...

Sounds like he might be good blog fodder. What a jackass.

If she doesn't mind staying I'd just document the jerk and see what happens.

alice, uptown said...

You have raised quite a woman -- way to go, Daughter. I notice the "professor" is "adjunct," university code for not-even-near the road to tenure track. I would encourage Daughter, if she takes the class, to tape record the prof-- that way, she has proof of his misogyny, should it come down to getting his ass fired.

The Misanthrope said...

Jack, Daughter works for the program director and he actively recruited her, so the adjunct may not be coming back.

Alice, thank you. I am indeed very proud of her. This is her last class only 6 more weeks and then she is finished.