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[barlinkhorse]

My honors college students were having a discussion on Blackboard about their first impressions of university. One of the students related that she answered a math question in one of her classes and the professor said that she was the first student in twenty years who had been able to answer the question. According to the student, the professor said that it "turned him on" that she was able to answer the question. Now, I would interpret that to mean that he was excited by the fact that a student had finally been able to answer his challenging question. The student, however, thought that he meant it turned him on sexually and cautioned her classmates to beware the math professor who is obviously fantasizing about having sex with smart students.  I jumped into the blackboard discussion and offered a few other interpretations of the phrase and cautioned the student not to make allegations about a professor's sexual fantasies that may be and probably are unfounded. I'm concerned for my colleague, though. He is in another department and I don't know him personally. Should I give him a heads up that this crazy impression came from what I would imagine was an innocent comment or just let it go? I think I would want to know if such things were being said about a comment I made. What do you all think?

[john_proctor]

Let it go.

[larryc]

Let it go.

[fiona]

Let it go. Don't take on responsibilities for misinterpretations with people you don't even know. You get yourself into endless labyrinths of misunderstanding.

Leave it alone.

The Fiona

[barlinkhorse]

Sounds like a consensus. I'll let it go. Thanks!

[icurhere2]

Actually, I was about to suggest "anonymous note in campus mail".  The faculty member should be aware how his comment was being interpreted - my first two thoughts were "horrendously misguided attempt at humor using sexual references" and "perv".

[yemaya]

I'd let it go.  It's best not to get involved in such things.  Particularly if you don't know the professor that well, he could mistake your well intentioned caution as you telling him how to run his class.  (Obviously not your intent, but you don't want to put yourself in that situation.) 

I will add that it was a stupid thing to say.  Many students - even bright ones - can be very literal.  This story is just another example of the need for instructors to self-edit and be careful what we say and selective in our language when dealing with students. 

[patchouli]

Barlinkhorse,

I think you did the responsible thing by helping the student reinterpret the statement from another perspective, and that is quite a lot.  If there are problems later, you can always speak up then. 

I've had (I'll bet others have had, too) students make complaints in class about other professors that mystify.  Once a student said "Prof. So and So is flaky." 

I asked him what he meant by flaky; was the professor irresponsible?

"Oh, no," he said, "Prof. So and So makes weird jokes."

I said, "Oh, so you mean Prof. S0 and So has an unusual sense of humor?"

He lit up and said, "Yeah!"

[daniel_von_flanagan]

Huh.  When I was a student the expression "turn on" almost never had a sexual connotation.  Discovering the most with-it student in a generation might give me a bit of a high too, though if that student then reported me I'd find it a real downer, and be thoroughly bummed out.

Seriously, if this student really thinks that the professor was sexually aroused by her correct answer, then she must have just guessed the answer, as she is phenomenally stupid.

- DvF (who is so out of it that he can barely turn on a light switch, though I do like cars that can turn on a dime)

[red_queen]

DvF, I appreciate what you're saying. After your explanation, and and barlinkhorse's, I understand it's not necessarily sexual.

But in my experience, or maybe for my generation, or whatever, that phrase 'turn me on' is almost exclusively sexual. I'd have been taken aback the same way the student was. Mind you, I wouldn't have posted that on Blackboard. 

Anyhow, thanks to you and barlinkhorse for pointing out that the phrase needn't have sexual connotations.

As to the OP's question, I also say stay out of it beyond what you've already done.

[trabb]

Seriously, if this student really thinks that the professor was sexually aroused by her correct answer, then she must have just guessed the answer, as she is phenomenally stupid.

That or the professor has the worst pickup line in the history of bad pickup lines.  "Ooh, baby, it turns me on when you do math!  Let's go subtract some clothes and multiply together!"

[slac_vap]

This is why I will never host a student discussion through Blackboard, and particularly not on a topic as open as first impressions of the University.  It is much too likely that students will end up discussing something in writing on a semipermanent medium that would better be processed elsewhere.