Hot/Hate for Teacher
posted by Sybil Vane
My first-year Gen Ed service class is not a fun place to be. I know this is supposed to be something of a truism, everyone groans about the freshmen service classes, but historically, I have liked them. I like getting first crack at incoming students, I like the shiny newness of first year students. I don't really even mind teaching them how to write.
But none of that is really happening this semester. Nw school, new job, I'm clearly not yet in my rhythm, started the semester a little nervous in the classroom. I've brought a different version of me to the classroom, I'm sure. And these students are, well. They are not the students at my graduate institution. Or my students in my not-top-tier state school MA program. And it's taking me awhile to translate that into knowing how I have to prepare differently (this is, in name and content, a class I have taught no fewer than 5 times at my graduate institution). Adding to the problems is the fact that I have never in my life taught a class with such a range of skill-levels. There are some students who probably have no business in this class.
The class has the normal smattering of very bright students students who did the normal thing of talking a decent amount the first few days and then getting tired of being over-relied on, so who have now clammed up. They are, in this case, all women. It also has a smattering of total jackasses lounging in the back who are all men. And who really chap my ass. These are the boys who made a production several weeks ago of not knowing what to call me since they didn't know if I am married (I know I blogged that, but the blogger dashboard seems to have disappeared the link). They started the semester making smart-ass comments here and there that were at least vaguely pertinent so I let it go since, frankly, it kept the rest of the class awake. But this morphed into their talking amongst themselves while I spoke, sleeping, etc. So I started pausing in my lecture to say, "Shut the fuck up." or saying, "You're sleeping, you're absent. Just leave and stop distracting me." And so now they've taken to just sulking in the back throughout class. And the class has, overall, taken on the tone of an overly disciplined swamp of reluctance and hesitation. It's irritating beyond belief.
So today I ran into two of the classes smartest women and started talking with them about how much I want to hear more from them in class. They knew, and confessed their unwillingness to dominate class discussion (not something a male student has *ever* worried to me about, but which at least 5 female students have said to me). They said they worried that it would make the class atmosphere even worse if they same few people kept talking. I explained that I understood, but that I do think it's more effective for students to know that their peers are smart than to know that their professor is smart. And that, frankly, their contributing more would just make my life more pleasant.
They both acknowledged that the atmosphere was difficult and when I murmured something about not quite having a handle on how that happened, one of them offered her explanation:
"Oh, well, all those guys in the back, they really hate you because you're so pretty. I hear them talking about it ALL THE TIME."
Instead of vomiting, and with full awareness that I wanted NOTHING to do with a conversation about how my students discuss me when I'm not around, I said, "Listen, I don't want to know anything about that, but will say that when you hear that sort of thing, pay attention and think about how you're going to deal with that shit as a professional. Or, like, anywhere/everywhere."
So, yea. My male jackass students "hate me because I'm so pretty" because:
A) They can't stand the experience of an attractive woman in a power position (e.g. "Who does that bitch think she is?")
B) Attractive women can be sexualized objects, not speaking subjects (e.g. "You look so much cuter with something in your mouth.")
C) Finding me attractive has nothing to do with it, they hate me because they hate women (e.g. "Bros before hos")
D) All of the above (e.g.)
It's too easy, right?
But none of that is really happening this semester. Nw school, new job, I'm clearly not yet in my rhythm, started the semester a little nervous in the classroom. I've brought a different version of me to the classroom, I'm sure. And these students are, well. They are not the students at my graduate institution. Or my students in my not-top-tier state school MA program. And it's taking me awhile to translate that into knowing how I have to prepare differently (this is, in name and content, a class I have taught no fewer than 5 times at my graduate institution). Adding to the problems is the fact that I have never in my life taught a class with such a range of skill-levels. There are some students who probably have no business in this class.
The class has the normal smattering of very bright students students who did the normal thing of talking a decent amount the first few days and then getting tired of being over-relied on, so who have now clammed up. They are, in this case, all women. It also has a smattering of total jackasses lounging in the back who are all men. And who really chap my ass. These are the boys who made a production several weeks ago of not knowing what to call me since they didn't know if I am married (I know I blogged that, but the blogger dashboard seems to have disappeared the link). They started the semester making smart-ass comments here and there that were at least vaguely pertinent so I let it go since, frankly, it kept the rest of the class awake. But this morphed into their talking amongst themselves while I spoke, sleeping, etc. So I started pausing in my lecture to say, "Shut the fuck up." or saying, "You're sleeping, you're absent. Just leave and stop distracting me." And so now they've taken to just sulking in the back throughout class. And the class has, overall, taken on the tone of an overly disciplined swamp of reluctance and hesitation. It's irritating beyond belief.
So today I ran into two of the classes smartest women and started talking with them about how much I want to hear more from them in class. They knew, and confessed their unwillingness to dominate class discussion (not something a male student has *ever* worried to me about, but which at least 5 female students have said to me). They said they worried that it would make the class atmosphere even worse if they same few people kept talking. I explained that I understood, but that I do think it's more effective for students to know that their peers are smart than to know that their professor is smart. And that, frankly, their contributing more would just make my life more pleasant.
They both acknowledged that the atmosphere was difficult and when I murmured something about not quite having a handle on how that happened, one of them offered her explanation:
"Oh, well, all those guys in the back, they really hate you because you're so pretty. I hear them talking about it ALL THE TIME."
Instead of vomiting, and with full awareness that I wanted NOTHING to do with a conversation about how my students discuss me when I'm not around, I said, "Listen, I don't want to know anything about that, but will say that when you hear that sort of thing, pay attention and think about how you're going to deal with that shit as a professional. Or, like, anywhere/everywhere."
So, yea. My male jackass students "hate me because I'm so pretty" because:
A) They can't stand the experience of an attractive woman in a power position (e.g. "Who does that bitch think she is?")
B) Attractive women can be sexualized objects, not speaking subjects (e.g. "You look so much cuter with something in your mouth.")
C) Finding me attractive has nothing to do with it, they hate me because they hate women (e.g. "Bros before hos")
D) All of the above (e.g.)
It's too easy, right?
Posted at 4:15 PM
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