Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Martian
Sissy and Dr. KGB are excellent sources of advice on this.
A reputation as a hard ass is a very good thing for a professor to have. You definitely want that if you can get it. Remember, you're not there to make friends with the students, you're there to teach them the material and make sure they do what they have to do. That goes for TA's as well. This, unfortunately, isn't a situation where you'll catch more flies with honey.
I can give you no advice in regards to the TA. Don't feel too bad about her reputation getting screwed up, though. She's done it to herself. You need a TA who's going to reduce your stress level, not add to it.
Keep us updated on how this goes.
|
Will do.
I had that kind of reputation at the middle school where I taught, of being a teacher you really didn't want to mess with in class, but that was really out of necessity. Middle schoolers will eat you alive if you aren't on their asses all the time, and if you're an obvious target, like an openly homosexual teacher is, you have to be a little moreso.
But those are kids, many of whom would rather be anywhere else rather than in school. They act up because they have to be there, but don't want to be.
These are adults, adults who chose to come to this particular school, who chose this particular class because, I presume, they want to learn, for example, how to read foreign classics of literature with a critical eye. I'm still a little dismayed that I'm getting only a dozen students who really want to talk about the literature out of about 80 who regularly show up, or who sign up for a lit class for which they don't want to do the reading.
It doesn't require nearly the same level of discipline management, while at the same time it does require the same level of bullshit management. I still have students wanting to sidetrack the discussion to their pet topic that's only tangentially related, still have students wanting to throw out unsupported opinions that offer no insight and with no attempt to defend them with logic or evidence from the story, still have students who want me to spoon-feed them the "correct" interpretation or do the opposite, treat all interpretations as equal, none of which I'm going to allow in my classes, because that would be a waste of everyone's time. I want real discussions of the issues involved and the deeper meanings built into the literature we're studying.
That probably sounds naive, but then, I expected my students to be a lot more eager than they are, so I guess it is.
There I am rambling again.
onesnowyowl: I love it when students stop by for clarification or when my academic advisees show up actually wanting my help with something. I hope I can get that balance too. I'm probably far away from the balance you speak of, and I don't really want to ever be thought of as a hard ass in class. I think students learn best when they enjoy their classes. I challenge students to defend their ideas, and don't accept opinions offered just for the sake of promoting a personal agenda or clowning, but I likewise try to be supportiv of those who are actively trying to learn.
--------
I think Grace may have just decided it for me. Her comment: "She's taking up hours of your time. We could be spending that time together."
Gilda