Complaint Thursdays

[Derrico]

Springs are ruining this country!

 

 

My complaint? Graduating. I'm not ready to adult

Being an adult sucks.

[SwampD]

Last year, I had to go to a meeting to argue why I needed my vacation more than someone else, because we had two guys out on long term disability all summer.

 

This year, we already have one guy out on long term disability and I can tell another guy is setting himself up to do it as well (it will be his third time in 5 years).

 

All this after we already lost 2 people permanently to disability who were one the books forever so we couldn't hire someone to replace them.

 

If someone knows anyone from north Jersey with a good work ethic I'd love to meet them. Not sure they exist.

Edited May 12, 2016 by SwampD

[josie]

Had to make a negative speech in our final class yesterday. I've never had to do it before, but there was a massive attendance problem throughout the semester, the worst I've ever had. 

 

Final crit. Literally half the class showed up 25 minutes late. Strengthened my resolve to say something, non confrontational nerve basket that I am.

 

Talked about effort and interest. I offer full revisions until the end of the semester (next wednesday), no penalty. Not ONE student has taken advantage, and this has been my lowest scoring class. Interest- I told them to contact me/professor evaluation if there's a reason they weren't coming to class. Made some real world analogies as well.

 

Several of my students came up after class and told me that the kids who never showed up also never show up in their other classes, that I was just unlucky in getting 8 of them in the same class. Some of the ones the speech was directed at came up and apologized and promised to do revisions. So in the end, I don't think it was entirely me, but man. This semester was hard for me. I'm very proud of a few of them, and very disappointed in the rest. I don't enjoy feeling that way. I'm used to making a difference- I feel like I failed half these kids. 

 

I can only hope that my speech lit a lightbulb for at least one of them. Having such a dismal session at least makes moving to Buffalo and giving up teaching a little easier, I guess. 

 

I'm glad I got the balls to say something, though it was probably too little too late and may negatively affect my prof reviews. I asked for it I guess. 

Edited May 12, 2016 by Josie914

[Randall Flagg]

How important are the professor reviews, and what effect can negative reviews have? I know so many kids who complain endlessly about how bad/hard professors are, and when I take the class, they are incredible teachers, who are scarily intelligent and always willing to help. The kids that complain just don't realize how hard college courses are to learn well and how much effort is required, so these professors get loads of undeserved bad reviews. One I heard recently was "gives homework that is too hard to complete in the week we have to do it." Hey bud, the homework is quite literally what you are supposed to be able to do after going through this class. Try opening your textbook even one time.

[josie]

How important are the professor reviews, and what effect can negative reviews have? I know so many kids who complain endlessly about how bad/hard professors are, and when I take the class, they are incredible teachers, who are scarily intelligent and always willing to help. The kids that complain just don't realize how hard college courses are to learn well and how much effort is required, so these professors get loads of undeserved bad reviews. One I heard recently was "gives homework that is too hard to complete in the week we have to do it." Hey bud, the homework is quite literally what you are supposed to be able to do after going through this class. Try opening your textbook even one time.

haha yeah, I definitely knew kids who left nasty reviews for great professors. It's usually the really happy or really angry ones who leave reviews.

 

I've never had a bad review before- the big thing is "would you take the class again or recommend it to others", I've always had unanimous yesses. If that changed, and I wished to teach again, it could mean they don't hire me back for another semester. Negative reviews en masse means no job, no references, burnt bridges. 

 

My coworker taught a class and was so horrible that he got 100% "would not take again" and multiple comments saying how little they learned. Never was asked to teach again, earned him a bad rep, too. Bad opinions spread like wildfire among college people.

 

I asked for feedback. I always get the comment "wish she'd be harder on problem students", but other than that, it's usually just asking for more demos or emphasis on something different and nice comments/praise. So I guess we'll see this time.

 

My former prof (a well liked guy) told me that when reading the student/prof evals, to have "a good beer and a box of tissues" ready to get through it. I'm dreading them this time. 

[pi2000]

my avatar for the next 4 months

[Sabre Dance]

Last year, I had to go to a meeting to argue why I needed my vacation more than someone else, because we had two guys out on long term disability all summer.

 

This year, we already have one guy out on long term disability and I can tell another guy is setting himself up to do it as well (it will be his third time in 5 years).

 

All this after we already lost 2 people permanently to disability who were one the books forever so we couldn't hire someone to replace them.

 

If someone knows anyone from north Jersey with a good work ethic I'd love to meet them. Not sure they exist.

I don't know, Swamp...that big box on the shelf above your desk looks pretty heavy.  Why, if it ever fell on you, you'd be laid up for months.  Oh!  Hey, look out!  The box is falling!! Get out of the....ouch!  Boy that has to hurt.  I guess you better go to the immediate care center. 

What's that?  The doctor says you can't work with that injured shoulder until at least September or October...  :rolleyes:

[SwampD]

I don't know, Swamp...that big box on the shelf above your desk looks pretty heavy.  Why, if it ever fell on you, you'd be laid up for months.  Oh!  Hey, look out!  The box is falling!! Get out of the....ouch!  Boy that has to hurt.  I guess you better go to the immediate care center. 

What's that?  The doctor says you can't work with that injured shoulder until at least September or October...  :rolleyes:

I even had a broken foot and was in a boot for a month last year. Asked for a half day to get an X-ray, but my boss made me take a full day. That was the only day I missed. Screw those goldbricks. 

[LGR4GM]

What are you a crab boat fisherman Swamp? 

[WildCard]

my avatar for the next 4 months

Speak for yourself  :lol:

[PASabreFan]

my avatar for the next 4 months

Everytime I see it, I think I accidentally surfed to a porn site.

[josie]

Everytime I see it, I think I accidentally surfed to a porn site.

holy crap, what kind of porn sites are YOU cruisin'? Woof! 

[darksabre]

holy crap, what kind of porn sites are YOU cruisin'? Woof! 

Pennsyltucky Purtymouths 

[wjag]

Wife calls this AM and says her brake pedal is almost to floor.

 

Take to dealer.  3 problems.

 

Master cylinder is leaking brake fluid through two seals.  Front, back rotors beyond turning, front and back pads need to be replaced.  Lines bled.

 

I gasped when told the price.  The lines aren't the only thing that will be bled today.

 

After dumping a crap-ton of dollars on the brakes last week, the car is going back in tomorrow to fix....wait for it....  wait for it.... the brakes...  For exactly the same symptoms we took it in initially for.

[darksabre]

After dumping a crap-ton of dollars on the brakes last week, the car is going back in tomorrow to fix....wait for it.... wait for it.... the brakes... For exactly the same symptoms we took it in initially for.

To a different mechanic I hope...

[TrueBlueGED]

How important are the professor reviews, and what effect can negative reviews have? I know so many kids who complain endlessly about how bad/hard professors are, and when I take the class, they are incredible teachers, who are scarily intelligent and always willing to help. The kids that complain just don't realize how hard college courses are to learn well and how much effort is required, so these professors get loads of undeserved bad reviews. One I heard recently was "gives homework that is too hard to complete in the week we have to do it." Hey bud, the homework is quite literally what you are supposed to be able to do after going through this class. Try opening your textbook even one time.

 

Depends on the school. They're considerably more important at liberal arts schools than at research institutions. At a research institution, unless you're Satan incarnate, they're not going to matter for tenure (unless they're graduate student reviews, in which case they matter more...but are still a very distant second to publications). I know at UB they were like ~5% of the tenure decision. The best teacher in the department was denied tenure because he didn't have enough solo publications. That's right, the problem was not enough solo publications--he had plenty of publications, many in prestigious journals, but they weren't single authored. Never mind that he was co-authoring with grad students frequently to help them build up their CVs.

 

But yea, you can get some pretty ridiculous reviews. One time years back I got a negative review because I swore and offended the student. I also got criticized for wearing jeans too much and looking unprofessional as a result...in a summer class. A summer class! I had professors in summer show up in flip flops and shorts. I'm just glad I'm not a woman. I've seen some reviews a few of my friends get, and they border on obscene.

If I get one more "Is there anything I can do to get my grade from ___ to ___? I really need it for my GPA and don't want to re-take the class" email I am going to snap. Grades are due tomorrow. How about emailing me for help earlier in the semester? Or, here's a real shocking suggestion...dedicating more time to the homeworks. 

 

And you should see some of the sob stories which accompany these emails. "I'm working two jobs and playing a sport, I didn't have time!" Maybe I'm crazy, but if your financial situation is such that you have to work two jobs while going to school, maybe you shouldn't choose to also play sports? And before anyone says anything snarky about paying student athletes, I assure you that these students aren't the type that would be earning a stipend anyway.

 

Seriously, this has been far and away the worst semester I've ever had teaching. Problems, problem students, complaints...I'm going to set a world record for most times saying "no" in a semester.

[Randall Flagg]

Depends on the school. They're considerably more important at liberal arts schools than at research institutions. At a research institution, unless you're Satan incarnate, they're not going to matter for tenure (unless they're graduate student reviews, in which case they matter more...but are still a very distant second to publications). I know at UB they were like ~5% of the tenure decision. The best teacher in the department was denied tenure because he didn't have enough solo publications. That's right, the problem was not enough solo publications--he had plenty of publications, many in prestigious journals, but they weren't single authored. Never mind that he was co-authoring with grad students frequently to help them build up their CVs.

 

But yea, you can get some pretty ridiculous reviews. One time years back I got a negative review because I swore and offended the student. I also got criticized for wearing jeans too much and looking unprofessional as a result...in a summer class. A summer class! I had professors in summer show up in flip flops and shorts. I'm just glad I'm not a woman. I've seen some reviews a few of my friends get, and they border on obscene.

If I get one more "Is there anything I can do to get my grade from ___ to ___? I really need it for my GPA and don't want to re-take the class" email I am going to snap. Grades are due tomorrow. How about emailing me for help earlier in the semester? Or, here's a real shocking suggestion...dedicating more time to the homeworks.

 

And you should see some of the sob stories which accompany these emails. "I'm working two jobs and playing a sport, I didn't have time!" Maybe I'm crazy, but if your financial situation is such that you have to work two jobs while going to school, maybe you shouldn't choose to also play sports? And before anyone says anything snarky about paying student athletes, I assure you that these students aren't the type that would be earning a stipend anyway.

 

Seriously, this has been far and away the worst semester I've ever had teaching. Problems, problem students, complaints...I'm going to set a world record for most times saying "no" in a semester.

But that would cut into my weekday getting-lit time!

[darksabre]

Depends on the school. They're considerably more important at liberal arts schools than at research institutions. At a research institution, unless you're Satan incarnate, they're not going to matter for tenure (unless they're graduate student reviews, in which case they matter more...but are still a very distant second to publications). I know at UB they were like ~5% of the tenure decision. The best teacher in the department was denied tenure because he didn't have enough solo publications. That's right, the problem was not enough solo publications--he had plenty of publications, many in prestigious journals, but they weren't single authored. Never mind that he was co-authoring with grad students frequently to help them build up their CVs.

 

But yea, you can get some pretty ridiculous reviews. One time years back I got a negative review because I swore and offended the student. I also got criticized for wearing jeans too much and looking unprofessional as a result...in a summer class. A summer class! I had professors in summer show up in flip flops and shorts. I'm just glad I'm not a woman. I've seen some reviews a few of my friends get, and they border on obscene.

If I get one more "Is there anything I can do to get my grade from ___ to ___? I really need it for my GPA and don't want to re-take the class" email I am going to snap. Grades are due tomorrow. How about emailing me for help earlier in the semester? Or, here's a real shocking suggestion...dedicating more time to the homeworks. 

 

And you should see some of the sob stories which accompany these emails. "I'm working two jobs and playing a sport, I didn't have time!" Maybe I'm crazy, but if your financial situation is such that you have to work two jobs while going to school, maybe you shouldn't choose to also play sports? And before anyone says anything snarky about paying student athletes, I assure you that these students aren't the type that would be earning a stipend anyway.

 

Seriously, this has been far and away the worst semester I've ever had teaching. Problems, problem students, complaints...I'm going to set a world record for most times saying "no" in a semester.

tl;dr: College kids always have been and always will be lazy ingrates. 

Source: I was one. 

But never like that. I failed my classes like a man. Quietly and with great internalized shame, which lead to an unhealthy drinking habit. Those kids are all bums Blue. 

[TrueBlueGED]

tl;dr: College kids always have been and always will be lazy ingrates. 

Source: I was one. 

But never like that. I failed my classes like a man. Quietly and with great internalized shame, which lead to an unhealthy drinking habit. Those kids are all bums Blue. 

 

Me too! Although I consider my drinking habit healthy. Yes, that's it, I have a healthy drinking habit :angel:

 

And I probably complain about them more than I should, since it's only a small percentage (probably 3-5 per 100) who make things problematic for me. But seriously man, this semester...I think I'm sitting on 15-20 giant pains in the ass, and one of my classes in particular has woefully underperformed general expectations.

[qwksndmonster]

But that would cut into my weekday getting-lit time!

Shhhhhh

[darksabre]

Me too! Although I consider my drinking habit healthy. Yes, that's it, I have a healthy drinking habit :angel:

 

And I probably complain about them more than I should, since it's only a small percentage (probably 3-5 per 100) who make things problematic for me. But seriously man, this semester...I think I'm sitting on 15-20 giant pains in the ass, and one of my classes in particular has woefully underperformed general expectations.

I blame the mild winter. They got a head start on slacking off spring semester. 

[josie]

I'm just glad I'm not a woman. I've seen some reviews a few of my friends get, and they border on obscene.

If I get one more "Is there anything I can do to get my grade from ___ to ___? I really need it for my GPA and don't want to re-take the class" email I am going to snap. Grades are due tomorrow. How about emailing me for help earlier in the semester? Or, here's a real shocking suggestion...dedicating more time to the homeworks. 

 

And you should see some of the sob stories which accompany these emails. "I'm working two jobs and playing a sport, I didn't have time!" Maybe I'm crazy, but if your financial situation is such that you have to work two jobs while going to school, maybe you shouldn't choose to also play sports? And before anyone says anything snarky about paying student athletes, I assure you that these students aren't the type that would be earning a stipend anyway.

 

Seriously, this has been far and away the worst semester I've ever had teaching. Problems, problem students, complaints...I'm going to set a world record for most times saying "no" in a semester.

bold 1- You have NO idea. Luckily I've never had it too bad, but I have asked trusted students/the interpreter to stay late with me because of strange behavior a few times. 

 

The sob stories. So, if they're true, most of my students are dying of rare diseases and have no grandmothers left. And their computers explode at every possible moment and delete the work that they "swear was done! i swear! it was great!" 

 

Saw this, it fits.

yup.

 

 

Second bold- Good LORD it makes me feel better to see someone else say this. What the heck was in the air this semester? Spring is always kinda bad but maaaan.  

[Huckleberry]

Had to make a negative speech in our final class yesterday. I've never had to do it before, but there was a massive attendance problem throughout the semester, the worst I've ever had. 

 

Final crit. Literally half the class showed up 25 minutes late. Strengthened my resolve to say something, non confrontational nerve basket that I am.

 

Talked about effort and interest. I offer full revisions until the end of the semester (next wednesday), no penalty. Not ONE student has taken advantage, and this has been my lowest scoring class. Interest- I told them to contact me/professor evaluation if there's a reason they weren't coming to class. Made some real world analogies as well.

 

Several of my students came up after class and told me that the kids who never showed up also never show up in their other classes, that I was just unlucky in getting 8 of them in the same class. Some of the ones the speech was directed at came up and apologized and promised to do revisions. So in the end, I don't think it was entirely me, but man. This semester was hard for me. I'm very proud of a few of them, and very disappointed in the rest. I don't enjoy feeling that way. I'm used to making a difference- I feel like I failed half these kids. 

 

I can only hope that my speech lit a lightbulb for at least one of them. Having such a dismal session at least makes moving to Buffalo and giving up teaching a little easier, I guess. 

 

I'm glad I got the balls to say something, though it was probably too little too late and may negatively affect my prof reviews. I asked for it I guess. 

 

Sorry to say but I would have been one of those 8 in my days, there was one year I attended 7 hrs in total whole year.   

Several teachers failed me because I didn't attend their classes, when I asked if there was a problem with my knowledge, they said no, but didn't like I didn't show up.

I striked back and while being backed up by two other teachers told the department head she was making a rag out of my future diploma.  

They actually started giving out so much points for attending classes even the dumbest couldn't fail anymore.

 

Worst thing is all the idiots that they let pass , really messed up my diploma and the school reputation when I went to apply for a job after I got my diploma.

There were certain companies who even didn't want anyone from my school anymore.    Attendance is nice, but handing out points for attendance was just plain stupid.

[josie]

Sorry to say but I would have been one of those 8 in my days, there was one year I attended 7 hrs in total whole year.   

Several teachers failed me because I didn't attend their classes, when I asked if there was a problem with my knowledge, they said no, but didn't like I didn't show up.

I striked back and while being backed up by two other teachers told the department head she was making a rag out of my future diploma.  

They actually started giving out so much points for attending classes even the dumbest ###### couldn't fail anymore.

 

Worst thing is all the idiots that they let pass , really messed up my diploma and the school reputation when I went to apply for a job after I got my diploma.

There were certain companies who even didn't want anyone from my school anymore.    Attendance is nice, but handing out points for attendance was just plain stupid.

Well, I usually let some of it slide. But when I say attendance, I mean they were not turning in projects or turning in half assed embarrassing crap. They were not providing inner dates that were required for grades. They were missing in class grading opportunities. Don't believe I just hand out A's like lollipops because someone showed up to every class but turned in . 

 

It's art school. If people want to pay 30k+ at RIT to go to art school and in their dorm room instead of haul their ass to class or send me progress and actually do the work, well, that's their choice. I don't have to give them an A for it, either. I've given good grades to kids who didn't come in that much- attendance is only 5% of their final grade. But I grade based off effort and progress, and none of those students showed effort, and none of them had progress. 

 

The kids who did show up??? Their work was consistently the best. Whether that's related or not, well, I'd have to graph it, but generally, it's always been the case in my classes. 

 

It's disrespectful to the professor, too. In a class as small as mine, it's hard not to take it personal.  

 

I don't have a big exam at the end of the semester where their knowledge could save their butt. I'd likely not give a crap about attendance in that case. And my classes are less rigorous than most of the other professors in this major. They could save the money, not go to school, stay home and self teach themselves how to paint digitally and be fine, but they CHOSE to be there at school, to have my guidance, and then blow it the off. Or their parents did or whatever. 

 

Also, there were 14 people in my class. Not like I had a lecture hall full of kids. It's very one on one. You don't show, you miss out. I go out of my way to make it not matter, but it sucks being blown off. I was disappointed that they didn't want to learn. You have to work at art. You can't just leave it till the 11th hour and suddenly turn out an A project IN A MEDIUM YOU'VE NEVER WORKED IN BEFORE. I gave them 6 hours a week to work and ask me a million questions and watch demos and do exercises. They didn't come in and then had the gall to tell me they "didn't have time" to do their work. Sorry sweetheart, I have no sympathy for you.

 

Such a waste of talent. Such a waste. Be better off not being in school. I hope they figure it out soon, or the student loans won't be worth it. 

 

Good lord I'm ranting again. I'm just so mad. I work my butt off. I can't imagine NOT working my butt off. Students usually LIKE to work their butt off for me. It's a huge slap in the face. 

[TrueBlueGED]

That sloth meme is majestic.