Unfortunately, I got stuck in traffic. An entire hour to go from 50th street and Broadway to the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel. Another 45 minutes in the tunnel itself. And then I decided to shortcut through the streets of Hoboken where every senior citizen uses rush hour to parallel park and back up a line of cars ten blocks long.
At this point you may ask yourself, "Why didn't he just take the train." The answer is, I have in the past, but it's at the end of the class, when I want to get home and go to sleep so I can get up at 6 am the next day that the train is trouble. NJ Transit runs very few trains at night and they stop everywhere. Add the PATH train that I then have to take plus the subway home and we're talking possibly 3 hours, and going to sleep after 1 am. And that just doesn't work.
At a stop light on the Observer Highway, I emailed a few students that I would be late, clicking three names before the light turned. But the three I emailed, it turned out, didn't get or share the message in time.
And so, when I pulled into Drew at 7:25, and ran to the class, I found empty desks and a note. "We waited for you, but you didn't come."
Now here's the crux of the issue. I teach this class because I want to give back to the students what I learned about technology and people. And despite our ability to instantly tweet Lindsay Lohan news around the globe, my class didn't think or try to email me and say, "We're here, where are you?" Not one of them. So I got angry.
Ultimately, 7 students did come back to class. And we had a good session. But the other students didn't return, despite a nasty email from me saying that the class was still happening and we were debating how to penalize them for abandoning ship.
Now the questions this brings up are:
- Is my anger valid? Or is it just an overreaction from 2.5 hours in Jersey traffic and no dinner?
- Why do students hope for classes to not happen? Why didn't they just remain in the room and start working on their assignments for the next blog right then and there? Is this about a college culture that doesn't value scholarship?
- What can students (and the teacher) learn from this experience (and I don't mean not to drive at rush hour). Put another way, what's the lesson here?
- Is there any point penalizing the students who didn't show up? Given that the point of college is to learn, would that teach them anything?
- What would have happened if this were a business environment? What would the employees have done if they were waiting for the boss who was 15 minutes late?
- What would have happened if the situation were reversed and the students were running late because of an athletic event, traffic, or some other reason?
- How has all of this been affected by technology? The ability to communicate instantly and the expecation to be able to communicate instantly especially.
1) Speaking personally, I actually do value the information provided to me from this class. In fact, I had even set up a meeting prior to last weeks class in which to further discuss subjects akin to the class, but was unfortunately too ill to attend. I find that depending upon the subject matter at hand, students are proportionally involved. Because of majors and minors, I have found many students to just be concerned with the classes involved in their specified subject.
ReplyDeleteSince I personally did not attend class due to illness, (doctors note provide-able) yet did not receive any sort of notification about the status of class via my classmates, I would say there is a breakdown in communication. There must be a more efficient way of communicating the delay or cancel of a class. Perhaps a telephone system where each class member has one other member they must notify in the case of a class change, that way the source of the breakdown would be easily identifiable.
The point of penalizing the students who didn't show up may be moot given the fact that some students will coast through any class that is not directly linked to their specific interests. Those students who indifferently participate in class will not really be affected by penalization given that they are probably half assing everything, so what's one more assignment to half ass right?
In any situation where you are attempting to make a good impression it would be extremely advantageous to leave.
This is a hard scenario to reverse given that the class can continue with the tardiness of one student, but the professor is running the show. Typically the student could slip in unnoticed and undisruptive but a professor is the main attraction. We are all human though, and slave to traffic, so equal courtesy should be shown.
Technology has exsaserbated the problem, and the amount of frustration in this situation. Because communication is so instant now there should have been no reason information was not immediately communicated. However, since there was a break down in communication in this situation we are forced to blame only each other because there is no excuse for the entire class not being informed. Had it not been for technology it would be easier to accept the idea that the class was confused and left thinking class was canceled. However, since you knew some members were informed it was very aggravating to see the information had not been relayed.
Sorry left out questions 1 & 6!
ReplyDelete1) Your anger is valid given the fact that you took the time and headache to come to class. The same way people gave up waiting after 15 minutes, you could have given up and went home after the first 15 minute traffic delay. The situation was unequal thus I support your anger on that account.
6) This is a hard scenario to reverse given that the class can continue with the tardiness of one student, but the professor is running the show. Typically the student could slip in unnoticed and undisruptive but a professor is the main attraction. We are all human though, and slave to traffic though, so equal courtesy should be shown.
did my post not show/work, or was it deleted?
ReplyDelete1) Your frustration at public transportation is understandable. However, you made the decision to take a job that requires a certain time commitment. Everyone has bad commuting days- your just happened to coincide with a day that you asked the class not to bring their computers, therefore hindering communication. I felt like I did the responsible thing by suggesting that we leave a note to show that we did wait for you- I guess I'm regretting that decision now, because it's being used as incriminating evidence.
ReplyDelete2) If I am told not to bring my computer to class, I don't. If my teacher doesn't show up and I don't have anything other than a notebook with me, I'm going to go back to my room where I have a computer and textbooks with which I can do work. I felt like waiting in BC was a waste of time, especially after the one person who did bring a computer checked their email and didn't see any indication that you were coming.
3) I don't think I learned anything from this incident. Public transportation is unreliable (already knew that), lack of communication leads to disputes (knew that), and sitting in a room with my peers makes me uncomfortable (yeah, I knew that one too).
4) I find it very strange that the student (not me) who was absent due to sickness is being punished, because she wasn't even involved in the whole incident. I feel like a stern email, an official time change of the class from 7 to 7:30, and simply marking absent the students who didn't return to class would have been sufficient. Maybe even a few points slashed from participation. But this assignment makes me feel like I am being treated like a middle schooler. I am an adult and can make my own decisions. If I don't show up, fail me for the day- don't put me in the stocks because I didn't think it was productive to sit in a room with no teacher and no work to do.
5) This is not a relevant question. However, since I have encountered this situation before, I'll tell you what I did. This summer I got to work an hour and a half before my boss, and I waited for her because it was my job to be on time. The day I knew I was going to be late because of a doctor's appointment, I reminded her the day before and e-mail-reminded her that night. This example, however, is not the same situation as the one we had last Wednesday and therefore is not relevant.
6) If a student is late for class, they get marked late. This usually later results in points being deducted from their final grade. I don't expect teachers to waive my lateness unless I somehow break a limb on my way to class. If I'm late, it's because I didn't plan well, and there is a systematic consequence for that lateness.
7) Unfortunately, the day you were running late happened to be the day most of the class didn't bring their computers (and the students that did were not the same students that you e-mailed). Although I did feel bad for the stress you experienced from your commute, I think there's a point to be made here- students in a computer-related class should probably have their computers with them. If you want us to close our computers while you're lecturing, that's perfectly reasonable. And I understand your problem with cell phones- people who text in class make me mad, too. But the fact that we didn't have our computers seems to have caused more problems than it solved.
Lateness and commute frustration are a part of all of our lives at some point. I sympathize, but I'm not willing to say that I'm at fault here. I am, however, willing to say that you've made quite a use of this blog technology. I don't think I've ever been punished via public posting before.
1. Your anger is valid as I’m sure it was frustrating to come into a classroom with no students. Traffic and hunger are never a combination for a good mood, so anger is more than expected. However, there was slight overreaction. I think this situation was overlooked as being an honest mistake/lack of judgment and was immediately seen as a poor excuse for not attending class.
ReplyDelete2. Maybe it’s because I’m 23 and this is my third go at college, but I take scholarship seriously. I like school and the cancellation of class is a nice surprise every once in awhile, but never a true hope. I would have been more inclined to stay in the room and start working on my next blog, but because I was asked to not bring my laptop, I didn’t have the means to do so. I wouldn’t say college culture doesn’t value scholarship, but I also don’t participate in college culture. Maybe if I was still partying every night and dealing with daily hangovers, I would be less inclined to be enthusiastic about class.
3. I think the lessen here is better communication and better commitment on both parts. We all have smart phones and are more than able to contact each other. I previously attested to my own commitment, and if I didn’t have 2 exams the following day and my laptop was in tow, I absolutely would have been more inclined to stay. As you stated in a personal email, I was “passive” and with more effort on my behalf, perhaps I wouldn’t have to answer these questions and wake up at the crack of dawn. Lesson learned. On the teacher’s end, commitment is also a valid lesson to be learned. I understand driving from Manhattan, but if you cannot commit to 7, make class at a time when you can commit. I see a lesson learned as our class time has officially been changed.
To be con't....
4. I don’t think there is a point to penalizing students who ‘didn’t show up’ because I and some others did show up. We just didn’t stay due to the fact that at 7:20 class still hadn’t started. I understand your point and your anger, but in all honesty the absence from class was not ill-intentioned or due to lack of caring about your class. I could have reached out to you, and if this happens in the future I will be more aware of how I should react. Although these questions are seen as punishment, I do think they hold value. By answering, we are exploring aspects and consequences of communication which is such a key element to technology-- very appropriate.
ReplyDelete5. If this were a business environment, we would have laptops/other material to get work done while waiting for the boss. Also, the monetary incentive is key. We need jobs to live and the risk of being fired is too high. Education is just as or more important, but I think subconsciously students don’t see a risk in missing just one class. Although not necessarily right, the role of employee supersedes the role of student in many people’s eyes.
6. This is a good question. I suppose the answer is nothing would happen. As a teacher getting paid to teach, you have an obligation to students to show up and teach regardless if one student is late. If we are not there, you are somewhat forced to wait because you have committed that time not only to us, but to the school. On the other hand, we as students also have an obligation to you and I suppose because there are many of us and only one of you, we expect you to be understanding. Thinking of previous times when I have missed your class, you were very understanding when you really didn’t have to be. This question puts the situation into a different perspective and makes me think of my own lack of understanding.
7. Technology seems to be the route of this problem. There was clearly an issue of communication and because the ability to instantly communicate is there, the situation becomes more frustrating. I expected to receive an email, but I also could have reached out to you. The expectation to communicate instantly is totally valid and the lack of communication is a shame because the problem could have been clearly solved.
Mallory
1. To start personal I would not have been in class on Wednesday of last week initially because I was not feeling well. But more importantly I do not believe your anger is valid and was probably due to the fatigue brought on by the traffic and lack of food. I only say your anger was not valid because according to the rules of the University if a professor is 15 mins or later the students are allowed to leave; especially if they were not notified prior to the class that the Professor would be late. Now I believe you said you email certain students say this, will I never receive that email so even if I was in class I would not have had a way of knowing.
ReplyDelete2 There is so much more going on within a student’s life outside of one specific class! So much so that when I class is cancelled it gives the student the opportunity to tend to the other various obligations a student might have. I do not believe college culture discredits scholarship but rather college culture allow for scholarship to be at the convenience of the students. This is not high school were one must stay within a class if a teacher is absence. But because we are indeed paying for this scholarship it encompasses the student’s right to deal with the manner in a way that gives students full power of their educational experience including the consequences.
3. I’m not exactly sure what is to be learned here. It is because I do not believe there should have been a punishment for my classmate’s actions.
4. No I do not believe there is a point of penalizing students who didn’t show up. If it is not conflicting with your initial attendance policy presented in the syllabus than personal feelings aside it should not have been an issue. Also no I do not think it would teach them anything. I believe that because college is more structural and within the class the Professor provides a syllabus that outline in detail the purpose and progression of the class. To penalize student in a fashion that is not an assignment on the syllabus will result in the student not doing it, which ultimately undermining the purpose learning from it.
5. I think giving a business environment the circumstance would definitely change. This is because as an employee you are being paid either way if the boss is late or not. So there is still value in the time that is lost.
6. If the student was running late depending upon the late policy of the Professor the student would have been penalized accordingly. Most Professor have a policy that dictates the rules of how late a student can be before he/she is marked absence regardless of their excuse.
7. Well, the only thing I can think of is that maybe if all the students were emailed than there would have been a different outcome.
1. Your anger is valid, because your students were deprived of receiving the knowledge you were going to dispense that day.
ReplyDelete2. It is not that students don’t hope that classes don’t happen, we actually do hope that they happen as planned, on time. Normally, if classes don’t happen like they are suppose to we would rather be notified or have something to do instead.
3. The lessons here are 1. Be Proactive, a Plan B must be instated. 2. Communication. It is a fact we need tools to communicate and technology could have helped the situation. We could have called or emailed you like you suggested, if we had our laptops and cell phones in class, and you would have been able to communicate with us.
4. No there is no point of penalizing students for the tardiness of the instructor, because they have already been penalized by the loss of time the instructor took getting to class and also because they could have assumed you weren’t showing up for the day since there was no communication what the professor situation was. No reason to double penalize them, it won’t help the situation and quite frankly there are no grounds for the penalty. Due to the fact that the rule is if a professor does not show up within 15 minutes of class we are allowed to leave, therefore we cannot be penalized for any wrongdoing.
5. If this was a business environment and the rule stated that if the boss doesn’t show up within the fifteen minutes they could leave; I am sure they would have left. In most work environments int the U.S, they would still get paid for showing up, since federal law stipulates that an employee must be paid for a minimum of four hours after showing up to work and their shift has been canceled or they were sent home for whatever reason.
6. This is up to the discretion of the instructor; There are no rules for classes being cancelled because students don’t show up only if the professors don’t show up. We can only hope that the professor’s decision is a consistent one.
7. The problem was not technology; the issue was matter of being proactive, having a plan B for when a situation like this occurs. Perhaps, having some sort of backup plan to buffer the possibility of you not being able to show up such as having an assignment ready for us, or someone else show up for the first few minutes of class, etc…Would have been helpful to fulfill the expectations you have of us.
1.) Your anger is valid, but I think it is misdirected. I too would be frustrated that I did not make it to class on time. But, I was on time. I sympathize, but I do not feel it is right to penalize the students who left. We waited for twenty five minutes for the second week in a row. I enjoy class and will continue to show up on time. If 7:30 is a more convenient time for you to start class, I have no problem starting class then.
ReplyDelete2.) I did not wish for class not to happen. If I had not have intended to attend class, I would not have gone. I am not that type of student and do seek to learn from every class, because that is what I chose to go to college for…not just the degree. When I left class Wednesday night, I’ll admit that my anger got the best of me. I felt that I was putting my best foot forward by being in class on time. Wednesdays are a long day for me. I have class at 8am and I don’t leave campus until 9:30 at night. When I get home, I take care of the house that my two younger brothers have destroyed in the few hours they’ve been home since the school bus dropped them off. I then wake up at six the next morning to get them ready for school and on the bus. So, I sympathize with your busy schedule, and I do very much appreciate that you signed up to teach as a way to give back. But, I am there on time, and I expect my professor to be.
3.) The lesson here is that everyone has their reasons for being late every now and then, and that people have lives beyond what is seen in class. This goes for both of us, considering I did not take into account the potential reasons that you were late (which may not have been due to any fault of your own).
4.) This penalty has caused me to look more deeply into both sides of the story than I usually do, including my own side. I looked at your actions and I looked at my own, and I have decided to stand up for myself respectfully. As I have said, I enjoy your teaching and I do understand the circumstances that led to your lateness. Still, I find my actions last Wednesday to be legitimate and as intended, they have made a point (as has your blog).
5.) I don’t feel that this can be compared to a business environment. Yes, I try to act professionally in class. But, as much as I respect my professor, he is not my boss. Had my boss been 15 minutes late, yes I would have waited.
6.) If I had been running late, I would expect to suffer the consequences, from simply not obtaining that class’s information to a deduction of points. I am not perfect and have been late before. At the same time, I have learned not to plan things that will interfere with my being in class on time, and I am not responsible for teaching the class, but observing and participating in it.
7.) This was hindered by technology, as none of us had our computers, and I am not one of the students with a smart phone. Thus, I did not receive any e-mail before or after I left class. I do not blame you, however, for requesting that we leave our computers home that day, as I agree with you that people did take advantage of it last class. Had I a smart phone, or my computer on hand, I would have e-mailed you to find out whether or not you were coming to class. As I said before, my frustration got the best of me, and maybe I did not act as professionally as I could have. In the future, I might make more of an effort to contact you prior to leaving.
1.) Your anger is valid, but I think it is misdirected. I too would be frustrated that I did not make it to class on time. But, I was on time. I sympathize, but I do not feel it is right to penalize the students who left. We waited for twenty five minutes for the second week in a row. I enjoy class and will continue to show up on time. If 7:30 is a more convenient time for you to start class, I have no problem starting class then.
ReplyDelete2.) I did not wish for class not to happen. If I had not have intended to attend class, I would not have gone. I am not that type of student and do seek to learn from every class, because that is what I chose to go to college for…not just the degree. When I left class Wednesday night, I’ll admit that my anger got the best of me. I felt that I was putting my best foot forward by being in class on time. Wednesdays are a long day for me. I have class at 8am and I don’t leave campus until 9:30 at night. When I get home, I take care of the house that my two younger brothers have destroyed in the few hours they’ve been home since the school bus dropped them off. I then wake up at six the next morning to get them ready for school and on the bus. So, I sympathize with your busy schedule, and I do very much appreciate that you signed up to teach as a way to give back. But, I am there on time, and I expect my professor to be.
3.) The lesson here is that everyone has their reasons for being late every now and then, and that people have lives beyond what is seen in class. This goes for both of us, considering I did not take into account the potential reasons that you were late (which may not have been due to any fault of your own).
4.) This penalty has caused me to look more deeply into both sides of the story than I usually do, including my own side. I looked at your actions and I looked at my own, and I have decided to stand up for myself respectfully. As I have said, I enjoy your teaching and I do understand the circumstances that led to your lateness. Still, I find my actions last Wednesday to be legitimate and as intended, they have made a point (as has your blog).
5.) I don’t feel that this can be compared to a business environment. Yes, I try to act professionally in class. But, as much as I respect my professor, he is not my boss. Had my boss been 15 minutes late, yes I would have waited.
ReplyDelete6.) If I had been running late, I would expect to suffer the consequences, from simply not obtaining that class’s information to a deduction of points. I am not perfect and have been late before. At the same time, I have learned not to plan things that will interfere with my being in class on time, and I am not responsible for teaching the class, but observing and participating in it.
7.) This was hindered by technology, as none of us had our computers, and I am not one of the students with a smart phone. Thus, I did not receive any e-mail before or after I left class. I do not blame you, however, for requesting that we leave our computers home that day, as I agree with you that people did take advantage of it last class. Had I a smart phone, or my computer on hand, I would have e-mailed you to find out whether or not you were coming to class. As I said before, my frustration got the best of me, and maybe I did not act as professionally as I could have. In the future, I will make more of an effort to contact you prior to leaving.
1.) I would be annoyed also if I would have been in traffic for 2 ½ hours only to arrive to an empty classroom. So, yes, your anger is valid but I feel that you could have handled this situation a little bit differently. I felt like the 2 e-mails (including the e-mail with our “punishment” were a little bit rude and sarcastic. It made me feel like I was a careless/lazy student or something. I feel like situations like these should be discussed in person.
ReplyDelete2.) I don’t hope for classes not to happen. I am in college because I want to learn. I take going to class very seriously. Back to the e-mail that was sent to us, I didn’t like the comment at the end of the e-mail “Consider this as getting a little extra education for your money.” It makes this situation seem like we all don’t care about our studies or about going to class. The only reason we did not stay in the room is because we, as a class, decided that we did not want to sit there without anything to do (since we did not have our laptops), not because we don’t value our education. I don’t go to class because my father is paying for me to be here, I go to learn something.
3.) I learned that every Professor has different standards/rules. Some professors believe that students can leave after 15 minutes, some don’t. Maybe it’s just a myth. I still don’t really know.
4.) I feel like the only reason we are being penalized is because you saw us not coming back to class as a sign of disrespect- or maybe you felt offended? It’s funny because I am personally one of the last people to be disrespectful to a professor. We showed up to class on time and are being punished for this. What about the students that you called out during class for texting right in front of your face? That is disrespectful.
As for the punishment itself: What if one of these days a student decides not to come to class, without having discussed it with you before? Will they have to wake up at 6 in the morning to post something? No. Why not? Isn’t that worse? We actually WENT to class. We left because you were not there after 20 minutes, not because we didn’t feel like being there in the first place. This was also the second time this happened, so maybe we were a little bit frustrated/ annoyed as well.
5.) If this were a business environment, it would be the boss’ responsibility to notify his or her employees. If he does not, no matter what, the employees do want to keep their job. They would probably be fired if they left after 20 minutes.
6.) Honestly, I do not show up to any of my classes any later than 10 minutes. I would NEVER walk in a class room 25 minutes after class is in session (it’s kind of embarrassing). If I had an athletic event, doctor’s appointment or something that was important, it would be my responsibility to clear that up with the Professor beforehand. You can’t control traffic- but in the end, nobody will have sympathy for me if I get stuck in traffic on my way to a class. It’s my problem and the professor will take note of my tardiness. One of my professors even locks the door after 4 minutes.
7.) Well, everyone has said this already but no one except for one student had their laptops with them. Apparently only 3 students were contacted from the class. Once they got the information, they called their friends in the class and came back. No one has my number; therefore no one could have told me what was going on.
1) I find your anger to valid but incorrectly directed. It is frustrating to have to travel such a long haul to get to Drew University but we do have a policy to wait 15 minutes for a professor and then we may leave. I was ill so I wasn’t showing up either way but I never received an email saying you were late or that we should return to class. I think this is more of a problem with technology. A way this entire saga could have been prevented is if we had your phone number so we could check in to make sure you were still coming.
ReplyDelete2) I think students’ hope for class to be canceled is so we don’t have to consciously skip a class. We have extremely busy schedules that do not just consist of going to class. We have homework, extra curricular activities, clubs, organizations; all these things take up a significant amount of time in our week. A canceled class is just a way to catch up on all the other things going on in our day. I don’t know why the students could not just stay in the classroom and do work. We should have our computers with us seeing as this is a computer science course. Maybe they thought there was more pressing homework to be completed rather than the blog because that is due in an entire week. I do think students in today’s society do not value education the way they should. Education is a privilege and not everyone is able to attend a fancy school such as Drew. Not everyone gets to attend college at all therefore we should appreciate it for all it’s worth.
3) I think students and teachers can learn from this experience is that technology is not always reliable. Being able to stay in touch with people 24/7 is not realistic but we shouldn’t blame one another for the gaps in today’s technology.
4) I don’t think there is a point to penalize the students because I don’t think they did anything wrong. Maybe they could have written a nicer sounding note but it is a rule of the university to only have to wait 15 minutes for a professor. I think the way they can learn something from this lesson is to all exchange phone numbers so we can stay in constant communication if necessary, especially with situations like this.
5) If this were a business environment and the employees left after 15 minutes they may have been fired. But this isn’t a business environment. In a business environment the employees are getting paid. We aren’t; Maybe with knowledge but not with actual money. That is not meant to sound harsh or disrespectful but college is different from the real world. We are still in our little bubble and we do make mistakes. I don’t think this was anyone’s fault except maybe for not predicting such a dilemma and not exchanging phone numbers in order to rectify it.
6) Many professors at this school have a no tardiness policy and a student must leave if they are more than 5 minutes late. I would not be taken aback or surprised if a professor told me to leave the classroom for being tardy.
7) I find technology to blame for this situation because you were unable to contact us. Technology is not perfect and as reliable as we believe it to be.
Shara Katz
1. The anger is valid because the class left without contacting you first to see what the situation was. We all have your cell phone and three email addresses. Also, we know as a class that you commute into Madison from MS so you being late because of traffic isn’t out of the ordinary.
ReplyDelete2. I do not think all students want class to be canceled. I think this particular situation is more about the time of the class. If this class was held during the regular school day, students would be much likely to stay and do work because most likely there academic day would not be over and it would not be so late at night.
3. When people make decisions they commonly do not think how this particular decision affects other people. For the class leaving on what I am pretty sure is a rule that does not exist, not only was rude but a tragic waste of time for you because you drove from Time Square to Drew for no reason. As students we can learn that as a majority we have a large impact on the entire class learning as well as the professor’s ability to teach. Just like a student cannot learn with out a professor, a professor cannot teach without a class and this sometimes effects students who do want to take advantage of their education..
4. No, I do not believe there is a point. Especially at this point when students are at the youngest 18 years old. We are all old enough to realize that success in college is largely based on the amount of effort put into it, and this effort or lack of effort will be shown regardless of punishment this particular time.
5. In business environment I believe the outcome of this situation would have been very different. First of all, employees would have waited a much longer time for their boss to arrive if ever leaving the meeting location. The most darling employee may have after a LONG time contacted the boss to see the status of the meeting but I think most would wait.
6. This depends on the professor; I have been penalized for running late or not being able to attend class based on athletic events, even though we are excused from class. This being said, if the entire class is running late I believe that most professors would probably stay waiting for students to come.
7. I think this is an example of how technology failed us as a class. First, you used email, as an attempt to reach out to a view students however, the message was not received by the entire class. (at least I think this is what happened, I was sick and excused from class). Second, the class had the opportunity to call you as well as email you regarding your where about and failed to do so
1. The anger is valid because the class left without contacting you first to see what the situation was. We all have your cell phone and three email addresses. Also, we know as a class that you commute into Madison from MS so you being late because of traffic isn’t out of the ordinary.
ReplyDelete2. I do not think all students want class to be canceled. I think this particular situation is more about the time of the class. If this class was held during the regular school day, students would be much likely to stay and do work because most likely there academic day would not be over and it would not be so late at night.
3. When people make decisions they commonly do not think how this particular decision affects other people. For the class leaving on what I am pretty sure is a rule that does not exist, not only was rude but a tragic waste of time for you because you drove from Time Square to Drew for no reason. As students we can learn that as a majority we have a large impact on the entire class learning as well as the professor’s ability to teach. Just like a student cannot learn with out a professor, a professor cannot teach without a class and this sometimes effects students who do want to take advantage of their education..
4. No, I do not believe there is a point. Especially at this point when students are at the youngest 18 years old. We are all old enough to realize that success in college is largely based on the amount of effort put into it, and this effort or lack of effort will be shown regardless of punishment this particular time.
5. In business environment I believe the outcome of this situation would have been very different. First of all, employees would have waited a much longer time for their boss to arrive if ever leaving the meeting location. The most darling employee may have after a LONG time contacted the boss to see the status of the meeting but I think most would wait.
6. This depends on the professor; I have been penalized for running late or not being able to attend class based on athletic events, even though we are excused from class. This being said, if the entire class is running late I believe that most professors would probably stay waiting for students to come.
7. I think this is an example of how technology failed us as a class. First, you used email, as an attempt to reach out to a view students however, the message was not received by the entire class. (at least I think this is what happened, I was sick and excused from class). Second, the class had the opportunity to call you as well as email you regarding your where about and failed to do so
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ReplyDeleteLet me preface my answers by stating that I missed last week's class due to illness, and the issue regarding the disputed class period was merely coincidental.
ReplyDeleteYour anger towards traffic and transportation is valid; everyone has an unfortunate traffic story to tell or a bad NJ transit experience. As for your anger towards students, that’s where the issue gets tricky. With no means of communication to check whether or not class was delayed, I do not see how students could be expected to wait in class, having no idea if it was going to happen, or how late it would start. Additionally, the students had no way of contacting you to determine how long the wait would be.
This is due to your email that was sent the day before the disputed class period where students were urged to please leave our computers and cell phones at home for Wednesday’s class and all future classes. Thus, I am confused as to how students would receive any information that class was delayed. Furthermore, the students would have no way of contacting you regarding your whereabouts. The chance of students receiving this information is also decreased as only three students were emailed. To expect students to remain in the room and begin work on the next blog post would be next to impossible without computers.
I think there is an important lesson to be learned from this issue. If the expectation is that students are to be well informed about changing class times, it is then imperative to allow us to bring a medium with which to receive the information. Additionally, this is a technology class, and while the absence of computers prevents us from Facebook surfing and twittering, it also hinders the capability of our class to reach its full potential. Many times you reminded students that we have computers, which allow us to search any information in the class discussion.
I do not think it is fair to penalize students for their inability to get information when it was suggested of us not to bring any technology to class. I think that students have many other obligations and it is not practical to simply assume that they would sit and wait with no way of confirming the duration of their wait.
I think that in a business environment, employees would stay if the boss were fifteen minutes late. However, this is due to the fact that a business environment is vastly different than an educational setting. Employee loyalty to their boss is based on the fear of being fired, and thus losing their means of income, something that is especially valued in today’s economy. Missing a class period, although unfortunate does not hold the same importance. It does not mean students do not value scholarship, rather it indicates an alternate relationship between a teacher and his/her students.
If students were running late and the situation was reversed, those students would be marked late. Their attendance grade would most likely be affected somewhere down the line. Of course, if they had notified the professor prior to the class period, they would most likely be excused for their tardiness or absence.
As stated in many of my previous answers, the fact that students did not have Internet access to check on the teacher’s whereabouts made it next to impossible to receive any updates, regardless of how efficient technology is. That being said, once the students left, I find it unpractical to assume that students would keep refreshing their inboxes once they return to their dorms. It simply seems like a waste of time, when everyone has many other obligations to attend to.
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