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

[LuvLDM]

I wonder if this had been you, any of you, whether you would have had the same response. I doubt it, if in the same situation. I will concede that it would have been wise to approach him, but she didn't. But I surely doubt that ALL of the people here who say she was 100% wrong would feel that way had it been you. In fact, as I read the posts of many of you, I can tell you all weren't / are perfect wonderful beings, and I just can't see some of you not doing something similar.

You asked, we answered...sorry you dislike some of the responses.
Frankly you sound just as childish as your niece.

 

[Jennasis]

While I agree he could have discussed this in private w/ your niece, he did not "make her look bad".....she did that herself by routinely showing up late for class.

BCB, your niece is completely in the wrong. She should have gone to the prof privately the very second she realized the late-to-class thing was going to be more than just a one time thing. Sounds like SHE doesn't think the class is terribly important, it being just a "community college" and all and her lack of respect for the class and prof is evident in her late arrival. Had she any respect for the prof, she'd have discussed this with him like an adult.

 

[bellarella]

I wonder if this had been you, any of you, whether you would have had the same response. I doubt it, if in the same situation. I will concede that it would have been wise to approach him, but she didn't. But I surely doubt that ALL of the people here who say she was 100% wrong would feel that way had it been you. In fact, as I read the posts of many of you, I can tell you all weren't / are perfect wonderful beings, and I just can't see some of you not doing something similar.

I'm not perfect or wonderful. However, when I am called out on my inappropriate behavior, I take responsibility for it. Had my professor said something like that to me, I would have have (embarrassedly) said that I was sorry and left the class and then made an appointment to speak to him after.

IMHO your niece's behavior was extremely disrespectful. This incident may not be a reflection of who she is generally, but that doesn't justify how she behaved in this particular situation. We all make mistakes. Owning up to them vs. passing the blame on others is the issue I see here.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Is this free college? I mean, she's paying for it, right? Or her company? SOMEBODY is paying for it.

If she was being a distraction, the professor should have talked with her about it privately. Actually, she should have gone to him. But locking her out of a class she is paying for? No. Not unless she's getting her money back for the rest of the year.

 

[luvmy3]

I wonder if this had been you, any of you, whether you would have had the same response. I doubt it, if in the same situation. I will concede that it would have been wise to approach him, but she didn't. But I surely doubt that ALL of the people here who say she was 100% wrong would feel that way had it been you. In fact, as I read the posts of many of you, I can tell you all weren't / are perfect wonderful beings, and I just can't see some of you not doing something similar.

I'm far from perfect but if I was taking a class and knew I would be late every week, I'd discuss it with the Professor and make sure he was okay with it. I wouldn't just assume it was alright to show up in the middle of his lesson. Also, if he told me to leave, instead of telling him to call security to get me out of there, I'd would leave but not before requesting a private meeting to discuss the issue. Or i wouldn't show up late in the first place. I'd discuss it with my boss, ask to come in early or miss a break so I can leave 10 minutes earlier to make it to class on time so it woldn't even be an issue. Not perfect, but IMO definitely a better way to handle the whole situation.

 

[Adipoo]

If she was showing up late for work every day with no explanation to her superior, what do you think the consequences would be?

How do you deal with all the drama in your life, anyway?

 

[momrek06]

I wonder if this had been you, any of you, whether you would have had the same response. I doubt it, if in the same situation. I will concede that it would have been wise to approach him, but she didn't. But I surely doubt that ALL of the people here who say she was 100% wrong would feel that way had it been you. In fact, as I read the posts of many of you, I can tell you all weren't / are perfect wonderful beings, and I just can't see some of you not doing something similar.

OP, she is 31 years old. She should have communicated her 'new' hours to her Prof the minute she realized she was going to be a tad bit late for class. Period. She did not communicate one thing to him and he is at this point upset as for all he knows she could be late because she is sitting too long in 'Starbucks' prior to class starting.

Its called c.o.m.m.u.n.i.c.a.t.i.o.n.

I am sorry you did not get everyone to defend your nieces actions.

 

[DSNY4ever]

I'm not perfect or wonderful. However, when I am called out on my inappropriate behavior, I take responsibility for it. Had my professor said something like that to me, I would have have (embarrassedly) said that I was sorry and left the class and then made an appointment to speak to him after.

IMHO your niece's behavior was extremely disrespectful. This incident may not be a reflection of who she is generally, but that doesn't justify how she behaved in this particular situation. We all make mistakes. Owning up to them vs. passing the blame on others is the issue I see here.

 

[mjkacmom]

Exactly the reason she should've gone straight to the professor and talked with him once she knew she'd be consistently late.

And her reaction was that of an 18 year old wiseguy. Community college or not.

My thoughts exactly!

 

[Rora]

Plain and simple: your neice was wrong to not notify the professor of this situation as soon as she got her new hours.

Professor is within his rights.

 

[Uncle Remus]

I wonder if this had been you, any of you, whether you would have had the same response. I doubt it, if in the same situation. I will concede that it would have been wise to approach him, but she didn't. But I surely doubt that ALL of the people here who say she was 100% wrong would feel that way had it been you. In fact, as I read the posts of many of you, I can tell you all weren't / are perfect wonderful beings, and I just can't see some of you not doing something similar.

Hey, ya think one of my professors woulda let me outta class for 10 minutes to smoke a cigarette?

 

[Tinkmom75]

I wonder if this had been you, any of you, whether you would have had the same response. I doubt it, if in the same situation. I will concede that it would have been wise to approach him, but she didn't. But I surely doubt that ALL of the people here who say she was 100% wrong would feel that way had it been you. In fact, as I read the posts of many of you, I can tell you all weren't / are perfect wonderful beings, and I just can't see some of you not doing something similar.

As a 35 year old mother of 3 working full time who has recently gone back to college to complete her Bachelor's degree after completing an Associate's at 21, I would never have or never will disrespect my professor like that. I'm sure if she had acted like an adult she would have been treated like one. She was wrong.

 

[WDSearcher]

I wonder if this had been you, any of you, whether you would have had the same response. I doubt it, if in the same situation. I will concede that it would have been wise to approach him, but she didn't. But I surely doubt that ALL of the people here who say she was 100% wrong would feel that way had it been you. In fact, as I read the posts of many of you, I can tell you all weren't / are perfect wonderful beings, and I just can't see some of you not doing something similar.

But it's not our behavior that's being discussed. It's your niece's.

If it had been me, since that's the disclaimer you've put on it, it would have never gotten to that point, since I'd have spoken to the prof first. And if, by some strange chance I had neglected to do that, I certainly would not have told him that I would only leave the class with the dean and security present. I'd have left the class, as requested, and made an appointment to speak with him the next day. At which point I would have apologized for (a) being habitually late and (b) not discussing it with him in advance. And then I would have asked if I could remain in the class, with the caveat that I would talk to my employer and fix my schedule.

If, indeed, your niece is not an 18 year old kid, then she is certainly old enough to know how to behave in a situation such as this. But she looked at it only from her POV. She never considered how her habitual tardiness would affect the rest of the class or the instructor. She figured hey ... she's trying to hold down a job and go to school, so she should be rewarded for that and not held to the same standards as a college kid. And besides, it's only community college, right? Nope. Sorry.

From your standpoint ... you asked a question, and people have given you opinions. Maybe you thought that you stated the problem in such a way that everyone would agree with you that the professor was out of line and your niece is right to be angry. If those are the only responses you wanted, you should have said that.

 

[hambirg]

I wonder if this had been you, any of you, whether you would have had the same response. I doubt it, if in the same situation. I will concede that it would have been wise to approach him, but she didn't. But I surely doubt that ALL of the people here who say she was 100% wrong would feel that way had it been you. In fact, as I read the posts of many of you, I can tell you all weren't / are perfect wonderful beings, and I just can't see some of you not doing something similar.

But see, there lies the crux of the issue. I'm not perfect, but I would have never found myself in that position at all. As soon as my scheduling conflict came up I would have talked to the prof and my boss to see how it could be resolved. I'm sorry she didn't do that. . .but really at 31, she should have known better.

 

[Carly_Roach]

I wonder if this had been you, any of you, whether you would have had the same response. I doubt it, if in the same situation. I will concede that it would have been wise to approach him, but she didn't. But I surely doubt that ALL of the people here who say she was 100% wrong would feel that way had it been you. In fact, as I read the posts of many of you, I can tell you all weren't / are perfect wonderful beings, and I just can't see some of you not doing something similar.

That's the entire point: most of us who are giving our opinions are giving them based on our own background experiences of putting ourselves in that same situation. Frankly, what I'm seeing expressed by you and your niece seems to be along the lines of, "I'm paying him to do a service for me, therefore I don't have to (fill in the blank)." Wrong.

College, or any higher form of education for that matter, is a symbiotic relationship where adults agree to gather at a prescribed time for a specific intent: one to teach and the others to learn. All focus during that alloted time should be based on either teaching or learning. Anything else is a waste of time and money, especially if it's a group of adults being interrupted from their goal by the one person who thinks everyone else exists to serve her (or him).

Your lack of ability to see that we wouldn't do the same as your niece speaks not to our actions or inactions but to your own limited imagination (or arrogance) that gets in the way of you being able to see things from any point of view that isn't your own. Which, again, proves my case that just because someone has a degree, that doesn't automatically make them an astute individual.

 

[Mkrop]

On that point, I agree, but when I went to college - and I didn't start until age 21 - it was all the 18 year old freshmen that I saw intentionally acting like idiots, and not the adults.

So yeah, she probably could or should have spoken to the professor, but I don't think she expected her hours to remain the same when they changed. I think she thought it was just for a couple of weeks, and it didn't turn out that way.

I still think the professor was wrong too, though. He ALSO could have just pulled her aside - in private - instead of trying to make her look bad in front of the class.

She should have talked or emailed her professor and told them she was going to be late, tell her she is not sure for how long but she hoped not for the whole semester. As another poster said she was lacking in communications skills and her response when asked to leave was extremely in appropriate.

I wonder if this had been you, any of you, whether you would have had the same response. I doubt it, if in the same situation. I will concede that it would have been wise to approach him, but she didn't. But I surely doubt that ALL of the people here who say she was 100% wrong would feel that way had it been you. In fact, as I read the posts of many of you, I can tell you all weren't / are perfect wonderful beings, and I just can't see some of you not doing something similar.

I respect authority, so no I would not have pulled a stunt like that on a professor, even when I was an 18 year old idiot. I only missed class if they did not have an attendance policy. I was never late. And I would never speak to someone in authority like that if I was called out about something I did. I would schedule a private meeting if I thought I was wronged.

Is this free college? I mean, she's paying for it, right? Or her company? SOMEBODY is paying for it.

If she was being a distraction, the professor should have talked with her about it privately. Actually, she should have gone to him. But locking her out of a class she is paying for? No. Not unless she's getting her money back for the rest of the year.

No school is free, ever! My parents and now myself pay for school everyday since my kids go to private school, but even though it is my money, they are to respect their teachers. Even public school is not free, myself and every other homeowner is paying for it, so a teacher should be respected.

 

[RunningGirl]

I wonder if this had been you, any of you, whether you would have had the same response. I doubt it, if in the same situation. I will concede that it would have been wise to approach him, but she didn't. But I surely doubt that ALL of the people here who say she was 100% wrong would feel that way had it been you. In fact, as I read the posts of many of you, I can tell you all weren't / are perfect wonderful beings, and I just can't see some of you not doing something similar.

I am 100% sure my response would have been the same had it been my DD, who starts college next year. I've already started stressing for her in high school how important it is to communicate with your teacher/prof early on. Count it as a lesson - there's more to learn in college than a trade, no matter what your age is. And I would certainly never claim to be perfect (or have a perfect DD).

 

[horseshowmom]

I wonder if this had been you, any of you, whether you would have had the same response. I doubt it, if in the same situation. I will concede that it would have been wise to approach him, but she didn't. But I surely doubt that ALL of the people here who say she was 100% wrong would feel that way had it been you. In fact, as I read the posts of many of you, I can tell you all weren't / are perfect wonderful beings, and I just can't see some of you not doing something similar.

OP, she is 31 years old. She should have communicated her 'new' hours to her Prof the minute she realized she was going to be a tad bit late for class. Period. She did not communicate one thing to him and he is at this point upset as for all he knows she could be late because she is sitting too long in 'Starbucks' prior to class starting.

Its called c.o.m.m.u.n.i.c.a.t.i.o.n.

Also called common sense.

But see, there lies the crux of the issue. I'm not perfect, but I would have never found myself in that position at all. As soon as my scheduling conflict came up I would have talked to the prof and my boss to see how it could be resolved. I'm sorry she didn't do that. . .but really at 31, she should have known better.

This is my first post on this thread, but I agree with the others. I can't begin to imagine that anybody - regardless of their age - wouldn't have already met with the professor to explain the issue. I suspect the professor would have understood completely. He wasn't given that courtesy.

I also can't begin to imagine that an adult would have reacted like she did when asked to leave (when she knew perfectly well that she had been late for four weeks with no explanation). If I had been the professor, I would have probably asked to meet with her after class, but considering she didn't give him the courtesy of explaining to him at the beginning, I'm not sure why she thought he owed her the courtesy of not calling her out on her tardiness in front of the class (who certainly were aware of her regular lateness).

 

[jen0610]

DH attends college now and it varies by professor. Of the 7 professors he has had - many of them for multipule classes - only 1 has had a sticking point for being on time. And that is his current professor for his Friday and Saturday morning class. The classes that start in the evening, none of the teachers have had an issue with those adult students that may be arriving late.

DH gets along with the one professor really well and he asked her about this the one day after a couple of the 19-25 year olds complained about their saturday morning professor. She told him, that if he was coming to her classes during the day time hours, she does have a sticking point for getting to class on time. Her stance is, most of the people that take the day time classes, don't work and are not on a tight, juggling work/school schedule. Where as, those in the night classes, most are working adult students, that are on a tight work/school schedule. She used his working schedule as an example. He was working in a city 1 1/2 hour drive away. He got off the clock at 4 and had to be in her class at 6. She understood that if he had no delays, that when he got home at 5:30, he had already put in a 12 hr day. Before heading to class, he would want to change out of his uniform, freshen up, grab a quick snack/bite to eat, before heading to school for another 3.5 hours. While she didn't expect him to come strolling in a 30 - 45 minutes after the class started, 10-15 minutes she didn't have an issue with.

She also said, for those that take a Saturday class, the school offers the time slot, if you as a student choose to take that class during that time frame, you had better make sure your Friday night party life was kept in check, because she has zero leway for those that can't come in on Saturday after they partied all Friday night. If she's giving up her Saturday's to teach, by golly you had better be willing to for go a few months of no Friday night parting to get this class taken and taken seriously.

 

[Deb in IA]

I will speak as a person from the other side of the podium.

I am in academics, and I frequently lecture to undergrad and medical students.

I can tell you that there is nothing more distracting (OK, maybe a cell phone) than a student who habitually comes in late, no matter how unobtrusive they think they are. The lecturer can see it and it invariably disrupts their train of thought and the lesson they worked hard to prepare and are trying to teach.

And I'm sure it is disruptive to other students too.

The mature thing to do, as others have said, would have been for your niece to discuss her new schedule with her professor after class as soon as she knew of the change.