Do you think a college professor has the right to do this?

[Uncle Remus]

I think online classes are a great idea......as far as the distractions from someone walking into class, it is quite a pain but college prepares us for a career and the "real world". Distractions are always a part of that world, while on the job a person may be working on a project but the phone rings, someone stops to talk to them, a sudden meeting is called....it is a total pain but is part of the job. It is unfair that other students have to deal with this distraction but distractions are a part of life. Maybe some of the students don't mind because they think it is great that a mom of three, working a fulltime job is making a great attempt to get a degree. Shouldn't college also teach us how to be tolerant and human?

I'm speechless!

 

[Scurvy]

I'd love to see an update about what happens the next time she shows up to class, but I somehow suspect that if we see one at all it will involve profuse apologies from the professor. Personally, if I were her I would drop the class as soon as possible, and never take another class from that professor again, because she has guaranteed that he will never go out of his way to help her in the future. And of course professors talk, so all his coworkers could also have unfavorable opinions of her before they ever meet her after hearing about her behavior. It would be bad enough coming from a true college freshman, but coming from a non-traditional student like her it's completely unacceptable. An older student ought to know how to behave like a responsible adult in a college classroom setting.

The professor had a right to do it, but I think he/she should have had some self-control and spoke to your niece privately after class to her her no more lateness will be tolerated.

I disagree with this. I think it would have been a mistake to handle it privately after class. According to the OP's very biased original post the professor just calmly told her she had to leave. He didn't rant or rave or throw things at her. It's pretty common for professors to make public examples of people who do things like this, in the hope that the other students will have the sense to avoid doing similar things in the future. Even in response to her childish comment about calling security and the dean he didn't respond in an unprofessional manner and he then resumed teaching. To me, that shows that he did show some self control, because her comment was so disrepectful and so far out of line that many people would have ended up arguing with her about it and wasting too much class time on her. By handling it privately after class, he would be giving the rest of the class the impression that her behavior was acceptable. By commenting about it in front of the other students, he clearly communicated that such behavior would not be tolerated. Hopefully as a result of seeing this the other students will act like responsible adults and talk to him in advance if they have to be late to class.

 

[mjkacmom]

Oh my! So is "jessica" the snowflake niece or big cuddle bear?

Another post made me re-think this - could the student actually be Papa Deuce? BCB appears to be his online doppleganger...

 

[declansdad]

Another post made me re-think this - could the student actually be Papa Deuce? BCB appears to be his online doppleganger...

Well he won't be back now that he has been outed. I guess we will never know.

 

[nancys]

I am voting that "Jessica" is the niece. BCB is not in the habit of writing run-on sentences, making spelling errors, or showing an aversion to commas.

 

[GinnyEmma]

I am voting that "Jessica" is the niece. BCB is not in the habit of writing run-on sentences, making spelling errors, or showing an aversion to commas.

Maybe those were covered in the first 10 minutes?

 

[Uncle Remus]

I am voting that "Jessica" is the niece. BCB is not in the habit of writing run-on sentences, making spelling errors, or showing an aversion to commas.

Maybe those were covered in the first 10 minutes?

I'm so glad I didn't have a mouthful of coffee!

 

[nancys]

 

[agnes!]

This is a great thread.

agnes!

 

[mjkacmom]

Well he won't be back now that he has been outed. I guess we will never know.

Oh shoot - I am the biggest loser - sorry all!

 

[Planogirl]

College classes may prepare people for the real world and all of the distractions that come with that. However, I would be in trouble at my workplace if I walked in 10 minutes late every day. They might work something out if I communicated with them though.

Profs can run their class the way they see fit and can even base grades partially on attendance. It doesn't matter what kind of college it is either.

 

[Mkrop]

Maybe those were covered in the first 10 minutes?

best quote of the thread!

 

[Planogirl]

Another post made me re-think this - could the student actually be Papa Deuce? BCB appears to be his online doppleganger...

I think that the niece has a different writing style. If that is actually the niece that is...

 

[shortbun]

Wow!! Secret posters, late to class, drama, espionage...this thread has it all. LOL!

On the outside chance that this thread is the real deal, I think the student should speak to the professor. She should have done that as soon as she realized she had a conflict and the whole drama could have been avoided.

 

[scrapquitler]

I attended a class once where students would sneak out after attendance was taken. It got really bad, to the point where over half the class would leave. Finally one day, the prof took attendance, started his lecture, and sure enough, slowly the class dwindled down. At one point, he locked the door, took some papers out of his briefcase, and handed them to the rest of us. It was the final exam! He handed them out, and GAVE US THE ANSWERS! Then he collected them again, and put them in his briefcase. A few weeks later, at the date of the real final, the missing students got a real surprise when they were handed a final that had been written the night before, and the rest of us were given donuts.

Ah, college!

And after that semester, I imagine that not a single student ever left his class after attendance again.

 

[RitaZ.]

I think online classes are a great idea......as far as the distractions from someone walking into class, it is quite a pain but college prepares us for a career and the "real world". Distractions are always a part of that world, while on the job a person may be working on a project but the phone rings, someone stops to talk to them, a sudden meeting is called....it is a total pain but is part of the job. It is unfair that other students have to deal with this distraction but distractions are a part of life. Maybe some of the students don't mind because they think it is great that a mom of three, working a fulltime job is making a great attempt to get a degree. Shouldn't college also teach us how to be tolerant and human?

As a mom of 3 and a non-traditional college student (46 yrs. old to be exact), I can tell you that the other students do mind and are annoyed by the disruption. Emergencies can happen to anyone once in a while, but when tardiness becomes a chronic problem, people notice and tolerance goes out the window. There have been classes that I wanted to take, but couldn't take because the time slot interfered with my other responsibilities. That's life and I just work around that.

In one of my classes, I met a young woman (also non-traditional student) that registered for a summer class, but she couldn't actually attend class because she was at work. A couple of days before the first exam, she emailed the professor asking what was going on in the class. The professor told her that if she hadn't missed class, she would know what was going on. She told the professor that she couldn't leave work to attend class. The professor wasn't too receptive to her predicament. This woman was livid over the professor's lack of interest. I had a really difficult time keeping a straight face when she told me her story.

I met another non-traditional student (man in his 50's) that didn't want to put the work and effort into the class, but wanted to get credit for trying. One of the younger students told him that if the university gave everyone credit just for trying, then their degrees would be worthless.

Everyone has a sob story that they believe makes them unique and special. Being a non-traditional student is challenging because you normally have additional responsibilities. However, that shouldn't entitle you to special treatment. It's like I've told my kids for years, the world isn't waiting for you to join it. You are the one that has to adapt to the situation.

 

[MrsPete]

[/B]

As a mom of 3 and a non-traditional college student (46 yrs. old to be exact), I can tell you that the other students do mind and are annoyed by the disruption. Emergencies can happen to anyone once in a while, but when it becomes a chronic problem, people notice and tolerance goes out the window. There have been classes that I wanted to take, but couldn't take because the time slot interfered with my other responsibilities. That's life and I just work around that.

In one of my classes, I met a young woman (also non-traditional student) that registered for a summer class, but she couldn't actually attend class because she was at work. A couple of days before the first exam, she emailed the professor asking what was going on in the class. The professor told her that if she hadn't missed class, she'd would know what was going on. She told the professor that she couldn't leave work to attend class. The professor wasn't too receptive to her predicament. This woman was livid over the professor's lack of interest. I had a really difficult time keeping a straight face when she told me her story.

I met another non-traditional student (man in his 50's) that didn't want to put the work and effort into the class, but wanted to get credit for trying. One of the younger students told him that if the university gave everyone credit just for trying, then their degrees would be worthless.

Everyone has a sob story that they believe makes them unique and special. Being a non-traditional student is challenging because you normally have additional responsibilities. However, that shouldn't entitle you to special treatment. It's like I've told my kids for years, the world isn't waiting for you to join it. You are the one that has to adapt to the situation.

Although my husband wasn't a non-traditional student, he tells a similar story: He went to community college for two years, then moved to a university. He underestimated the "jump" in the difficulty of his classes, and at mid-term he was badly failing one class. Being young and naive, he went to his professor whining, "But I have to work . . . " In short order, his professor told him that he needed to choose: Work or school. Both isn't working out. He says he was MAD at the time, thinking himself done wrong -- as I said, young and naive -- but later he realized that the professor had given him good advice. He says that the warning was delivered to him in a gruff manner, but if it'd been sugar-coated, he wouldn't have taken it so seriously.

 

[CurlyGirl]

I think online classes are a great idea......as far as the distractions from someone walking into class, it is quite a pain but college prepares us for a career and the "real world". Distractions are always a part of that world, while on the job a person may be working on a project but the phone rings, someone stops to talk to them, a sudden meeting is called....it is a total pain but is part of the job. It is unfair that other students have to deal with this distraction but distractions are a part of life. Maybe some of the students don't mind because they think it is great that a mom of three, working a fulltime job is making a great attempt to get a degree. Shouldn't college also teach us how to be tolerant and human?

Regarding the bolded: Are you serious!?!?

How would you like it if a colleague walked in 10 minutes late to every presentation you had to give at work? Would you think that's ok because, well, they had other stuff to do? Give me a break.

And do you really think the students in your class care that you're a mom of three working a full time job and getting a degree? A. You're not the first person to do this and 2. They have better things to do than marvel in admiration over your alleged specialness and Z. Most of them are probably in the same situation you're in.

Wanna bet that the majority of those students were silently cheering when the professor called the OP's niece out!? I know I would've been!

Give me a break, honey.

 

[Witch Mountain]

I have to agree with the last few posters. My undergrad was FULL of parents, people in their 30s, 40's and 50's who did their best to juggle the many responsibilities in their lives to be in class ON TIME every week.

Honestly, we all made more of an effort because we see how the current job market is headed, where despite years of experience in our chosen professions, employers are looking for people with the degree.

If it's a smaller school, you can bet that everyone else in that professor's department heard about the student who is old enough to know better, yet threw a hissy fit. Sure hope the class isn't in her major.

 

[momrek06]

Just stopping by to see if BCB stopped back by to comment on his thread. Hmm, I guess not.