COLLOQUY Responses
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COLLOQUY Responses
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 I believe the article regarding student rudeness preys upon a disturbing idea in academe: "Students are the cause of problems that professors face in the classroom." Although I acknowledge that there are some problem students roaming our campuses today, I do not see it as a "problem" that is preventing the majority of us from doing our jobs as educators -- let alone a problem worthy of a feature article in The Chronicle of Higher Education. I am particularly worried when I see future educators like Jennifer Stiles (a respondent in this colloquy) wondering if she should continue her pursuit of teaching after reading the experiences of alarmists in academe (although I agree with her that we do little to prepare future faculty for interpersonal relationships in the classroom). Moreover, I see this focus on student rudeness as a convenient excuse for professors who are unwilling to critique their classroom practices. After all, it is much easier to reminisce about the "good ol' days" when students were supposedly more polite than confront the idea that we may be the cause of our own "afflictions." I am glad that it is a challenge to interact with students who do not behave like they stepped out of an episode of "Happy Days" or "Leave it to Beaver." I would much rather work with students from "Dangerous Minds" or "My So-Called Life" because even though they may frustrate me from time to time, they are also the reason why I find teaching a rewarding and exciting profession. They are also the key ingredient in keeping me on my toes professionally. Can any meaningful growth occur without a little (or a lot of) frustration and failure? When I start to see classrooms of students who are always on time, who always turn in their assignments and who are sites of consent rather than dissent... I think I'll retire.
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