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[kohelet]

It's also possible that your condition is not becoming more obvious, but that some small thing noticed by one student was talked about among friends, and snowballed from there. 

Yes--I've noticed this phenomenon numerous times.  Someone will air an observation/opinion that becomes a class meme.  I had one semester when several students commented on their dissatisfaction with this one little tiny inconsequential course component--never happened before, never happened again.  Salsa6, if your symptoms really haven't worsened, I bet allyoxenfree is on target.  

Very sorry you're going through this!

[salsa6]

First of all, thanks, everyone.  This has been very helpful, but I still haven't decided what to do.  I've been following up with local neurologists in case I do decide to go ADA, or at the very least, to avoid a <gulp>  mental health intervention.   I'm not entirely sure that they'd back me on any disability claim, though, since my symptoms are very minor.

I would explain the situation to my chair, too. That will put an end to your chair's insistence that you try to figure out what "set the students off." You know what set them off, you know why they are complaining. Why not just tell your chair that and move on?

As far as telling students, the situation needs monitoring. If you never get comments about this again (or very rarely) I would feel no need to explain the situation to students. However, if comments begin to appear in your evals on a regular basis, I would consider that it might be possible that your condition is becoming more obvious and might need some explanation in the early weeks of the semester.

It's also possible that your condition is not becoming more obvious, but that some small thing noticed by one student was talked about among friends, and snowballed from there.  Students sometimes do gang up on a prof, especially if they smell vulnerability.  It can happen once in a career, especially if those students are bad in class or simply immature. 

What you do may depend on your school as well.  Is it small?  In that case, the rumor may be going around campus.  If it's large, you may hear nothing about this in the future.

You hit the nail on the head right there, alleyoxenfree. The students were playing the game "Count how often the professor does X.", and they presented their data in my evals.  In my case, "X" isn't a very unusual thing, I just do it more often and in kind of a funny way.   They were reasonably discreet about it in class, but I think I know who it was that was counting.  I'm hoping any rumors die when these students graduate.  Or, I hope, at least future students are kinder than that crew.

[alleyoxenfree]

First of all, thanks, everyone.  This has been very helpful, but I still haven't decided what to do.  I've been following up with local neurologists in case I do decide to go ADA, or at the very least, to avoid a <gulp>  mental health intervention.   I'm not entirely sure that they'd back me on any disability claim, though, since my symptoms are very minor.

I would explain the situation to my chair, too. That will put an end to your chair's insistence that you try to figure out what "set the students off." You know what set them off, you know why they are complaining. Why not just tell your chair that and move on?

As far as telling students, the situation needs monitoring. If you never get comments about this again (or very rarely) I would feel no need to explain the situation to students. However, if comments begin to appear in your evals on a regular basis, I would consider that it might be possible that your condition is becoming more obvious and might need some explanation in the early weeks of the semester.

It's also possible that your condition is not becoming more obvious, but that some small thing noticed by one student was talked about among friends, and snowballed from there.  Students sometimes do gang up on a prof, especially if they smell vulnerability.  It can happen once in a career, especially if those students are bad in class or simply immature. 

What you do may depend on your school as well.  Is it small?  In that case, the rumor may be going around campus.  If it's large, you may hear nothing about this in the future.

You hit the nail on the head right there, alleyoxenfree. The students were playing the game "Count how often the professor does X.", and they presented their data in my evals.  In my case, "X" isn't a very unusual thing, I just do it more often and in kind of a funny way.   They were reasonably discreet about it in class, but I think I know who it was that was counting.  I'm hoping any rumors die when these students graduate.  Or, I hope, at least future students are kinder than that crew.

This is awful, but it sounds like you are handling it well.  I'm sure most of us have been the butt of this and just talked about in the dorms.  I did once have one student get her pal to complain about something bizarre on the evals; ironically, they were two students I'd worked to help the most.  Just plain immaturity.  If I got wind of something like this in the future, I'd say, "That's okay, I count the number of times you wear those green flip-flops, even when it's raining."  Two can play that game.

[lolar2]

First of all, thanks, everyone.  This has been very helpful, but I still haven't decided what to do.  I've been following up with local neurologists in case I do decide to go ADA, or at the very least, to avoid a <gulp>  mental health intervention.   I'm not entirely sure that they'd back me on any disability claim, though, since my symptoms are very minor.

As I said earlier-- the ADA covers situations where someone appears disabled, even when he or she is not functionally impaired. Someone with a visible but painless facial birthmark would be covered, for example, if there was discrimination.

[lolar2]

double post, sorry

[mdwlark]

Based upon the chair's remark, I think you need to tell the chair sooner rather than later.  You probably should have explained it the first time he started talking about taping your class.  Sometimes one mean student will be the ringleader and ruin a class.  Sometimes students as a group come after us when we are vulnerable.  It usually only takes a slight change in your approach to fix the situation in future classes. 

[larryc]

The students were playing the game "Count how often the professor does X.", and they presented their data in my evals.  In my case, "X" isn't a very unusual thing, I just do it more often and in kind of a funny way.   They were reasonably discreet about it in class, but I think I know who it was that was counting.  I'm hoping any rumors die when these students graduate.  Or, I hope, at least future students are kinder than that crew.

The students would be a lot kinder if they knew it was a medical condition. Couldn't you just tell them?

[kearao]

I'm concerned that your chair wants to put you through some type of process that is actually illegal. 

Unless I'm very much mistaken, it doesn't matter if your eyes periodically glow like Michael Jackson's in "Thriller" -- you are protected by law from any form of discriminatory action by your employer.   And it sounds to me like your chair's recommendations are focused on the idea that there is something "wrong" with you -- and that they are therefore likely to be illegal.   

It really wouldn't be a bad idea to see a lawyer.  Or do some legal research.  Or, at a minimum, register with your campus ADA office, as a couple of others have suggested.   It's very empowering to know that you have options.   These few students were gunning for you, and it sounds like your chair is, perhaps unknowingly, collaborating with them.  Gotta say, I just don't like the sound of this.  I think you should take action to empower yourself, and not cooperate with people whose motives are unknown.   

[kearao]

Sorry, I didn't realize this was such an old thread.  If my comments are out of line, I do apologize. 

[post_functional]

First of all, thanks, everyone.  This has been very helpful, but I still haven't decided what to do.  I've been following up with local neurologists in case I do decide to go ADA, or at the very least, to avoid a <gulp>  mental health intervention.   I'm not entirely sure that they'd back me on any disability claim, though, since my symptoms are very minor.

I would explain the situation to my chair, too. That will put an end to your chair's insistence that you try to figure out what "set the students off." You know what set them off, you know why they are complaining. Why not just tell your chair that and move on?

As far as telling students, the situation needs monitoring. If you never get comments about this again (or very rarely) I would feel no need to explain the situation to students. However, if comments begin to appear in your evals on a regular basis, I would consider that it might be possible that your condition is becoming more obvious and might need some explanation in the early weeks of the semester.

It's also possible that your condition is not becoming more obvious, but that some small thing noticed by one student was talked about among friends, and snowballed from there.  Students sometimes do gang up on a prof, especially if they smell vulnerability.  It can happen once in a career, especially if those students are bad in class or simply immature.  

What you do may depend on your school as well.  Is it small?  In that case, the rumor may be going around campus.  If it's large, you may hear nothing about this in the future.

You hit the nail on the head right there, alleyoxenfree. The students were playing the game "Count how often the professor does X.", and they presented their data in my evals.  In my case, "X" isn't a very unusual thing, I just do it more often and in kind of a funny way.   They were reasonably discreet about it in class, but I think I know who it was that was counting.  I'm hoping any rumors die when these students graduate.  Or, I hope, at least future students are kinder than that crew.

This is awful, but it sounds like you are handling it well.  I'm sure most of us have been the butt of this and just talked about in the dorms.  I did once have one student get her pal to complain about something bizarre on the evals; ironically, they were two students I'd worked to help the most.  Just plain immaturity.  If I got wind of something like this in the future, I'd say, "That's okay, I count the number of times you wear those green flip-flops, even when it's raining."  Two can play that game.

I think my response would be more pointed: "I count the number of times you fail to focus on your work in class and instead make insensitive remarks at someone else's expense."

I [heart] lolar2.  Always full of helpful information.

[salsa6]

I figured I would update this....

I did a mid-semester evaluation this week, which looks almost like the end-of-the-year evaluation but only goes to me, and there were no comments on my condition in any of the forms.  Yay!  One of the things my chair said about the prior evaluations was that, more than anything, the comments indicated that there was a disconnect between me and the students.  I've tried to work on some other things to improve that.

[zarathustra]

I am no doctor, but I do find myself speaking to people when I sometimes lose it over nothing. I don't think that I'm ill or have any sort of disorder but I also think its normal for a lot of people to experience some sort of quirkiness. I've had professors threaten to put our pictures on his website. I've even heard them get violently angry and accusatory. I've even had a professor ask us why math is so difficult and why somebody would miss a simple multiplication and proceeded to beat his head on the black board 25 times.

There are likely more factors in your review that might outweigh the factors presented in this situation. I think that some warning to students upfront could really help set the tone for them. They might be understanding and well prepared for any 'quirk'.

You're an especially insidious kind of spammer, aren't you?