MONDAY: The Professor gets an email from the dean (or some high ranking school official) saying that one of his students had been suspended and that he is to give the kid an incomplete grade. The email further stated that the student was not allowed to return to campus. THEN, the email said something to the effect of “I know you probably have questions about what is going on. Here is the student’s telephone number if you want to call him.”
TUESDAY: It’s not that The Professor is callous, but he’s just not one to chat on the phone, nor is he interested in hearing a personal story (unlike me who would have called the kid the minute I got the number.) While The Professor did not call the student, the student called him to say he was sure The Professor had heard the news of his suspension but he wanted to make an appointment to visit about his grade. Possibly because he has five other jobs and was really busy, or perhaps because he has a lick of sense, The Professor told the student they should wait until the suspension was removed.
WEDNESDAY: The Professor wakes me up with a piping hot latte (as he does every morning) and says, “Now I know why my student was suspended. He threatened to blow up the school.”
Watch this and tell me that teaching is not a dangerous job!
My mother, who teaches freshman-level writing at a small college, recently had to tell one of her students, an adult who is going to college for the first time, that he needed to rewrite a paper because she suspected it was plagiarised. She opted to give him a second chance instead of automatically failing him as the college allows. Why? Because in class one day, the discussion turned to handguns and who carried them. This man said he carried a loaded gun at all times, even in areas where they are prohibited, and if by god anyone ever started shooting, like at Luby's, he'd be there to take care of the situation.
Mom's a little afraid that if she fails him, he'll be gunning for her. Especially after his response about the suspected plagiarism.
Posted by: hokgardner | May 02, 2008 at 01:35 PM
Wow. The professor has some interesting stories!
What ever happened to the girl who had confided in him? Give us an update if you have one.
Rebecca F.
Posted by: Rebecca F. | May 03, 2008 at 09:51 PM
The girl nor The Professor ever brought it up again.
Posted by: Value wIT | May 04, 2008 at 08:18 PM