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[docsavage]

I did a search for threads on Freudian slips and other embarrassing things that we inadvertently do in front of our students, but couldn't find anything that is similar to a serious fail I committed yesterday. (A while ago I read a brilliant thread titled simply "I farted" that seemed of a similar nature.)

Yesterday in class I was talking fast, as I always do. I sometimes trip over my words or stutter a bit, and this accelerates when I'm discussing something exciting. Well, related to the topic that I was discussing, I said to the students "And you'll learn a whole lot more about this if you take my [subspecialty] Lit Class." Except, o fora, I didn't say lit. I meant to say lit. But I was thinking "class" and the last two words alliterated, loudly and obviously.

I realized it just at the moment when I saw several students get wide-eyed and look at each other. Then I stopped and said -- "Wow, that was a Freudian slip if ever I heard one!" They all laughed. I was beet-red by this point. Then I told a story about a professor of mine from many many years ago (anonymously, of course) who had committed a similar slip. Mainly to get them to laugh about it, but also to show them, simply "these things happen." I laughed at myself, but I was totally, hideously mortified.

The only thing I can say in my defense is that we were in the middle of talking about the Wife of Bath, who does indeed spend a lot of time talking about her lady parts. Not that we were using terminology that's in any way more racy than "queynte."

Now, luckily this class is on gender and sexuality, so by this point in the semester the squeamish students have either dropped or started being less squeamish. So I think I may have gotten off relatively easily on this one. Do any of you have advice (besides working on speaking more slowly and mindfully) or similar stories? I'm relatively young, and tenure track, and a little nervous about things!

[hpopyfrood]

I had a slip of the tongue while talking about an organismic theory....and every single stinking time, I said 'orgasmic' instead.  I just couldn't seem to stop it.  We actually turned it into a bit of a running joke.  (and they sure remembered it on the exam!)

I think the best thing to do is have a sense of humour, laugh with them laughing at you, and move on.  You seem to have done just that!  I like appearing human to my students, so while I may end up  beet red on occasion, a slip of the tongue won't make me too embarrassed to face them again. 

[carebearstare]

I do "embarrassing" things so often that I learned long ago that the best tactic is just not to get embarrassed. Call attention to it right away, have a laugh/poke fun at yourself, and move on.

[krisanthe]

I was once giving a presentation about the major to prospective students and I meant to say "We have a lot of events for our students to help them feel part of the community".  But I accidentally combined "feel" and "part" and I said "fart". I just kept going because no one seemed to notice, but it was embarrassing.

[gbrown]

I'm not sure if I'm the original poster that farted, but I did fart while writing on the whiteboard... and several students laughed. I was glad when *that* semester was over!

Slips of the tongue... I can't tell you how many times I've said "final" instead of "midterm" lately. Scares the whoop out of the students!

[docsavage]

Thanks so much for the encouragement, all. h'frood, I love the organismic/orgasmic concept! I bet students got a kick out of that, and maybe it helped them remember organismic theory.

Yes, the slips of the tongue are so common lately. I do them even more under stress. I'm hoping, carebearstare, to eventually not be embarrassed about it.

[tinyzombie]

I think this is my new favorite thread.

TZ, ever so proud of herself every time she types the L in "public"

[zpost]

I commonly use the words "Set", "Sets", "Six" and "X" in my teaching.  I am always sure to enunciate very clearly!  "Six X" especially so.  My first semester teaching I sped through these words - lots of giggles ensued.

[tee_bee]

I think this is my new favorite thread.

TZ, ever so proud of herself every time she types the L in "public"

*Snort.* I teach public policy at the MA and PhD level. I tell my students, when I find this error, to set their autocorrect in Word (most of them use it) to always correct "pubic" to "public." I know that I have mine set up. Or just run  a search and destroy on the word. But it always comes up once a term, and is good for laughs and is a teachable moment. Since I don't teach A&P in the bio department, I don't have to worry about the "public bone." Although, when I was a kid, I never understood why they kept talking about "public hair" in the books I was given to read about "the changes." I clearly had never heard the proper word before.

As to the other slip: this reminds me of my alma mater's system for abbreviating subjects, using two to three characters: PS, SOC, GEO, ECON, HLTH, PSY, etc. Guess what the Comparative Literature courses were? They changed the abbreviation for some reason years later. It always got lots of snickers from the humanities majors This was in the 1980s; what took them so long to change it?

[cc_alan]

As to the other slip: this reminds me of my alma mater's system for abbreviating subjects, using two to three characters: PS, SOC, GEO, ECON, HLTH, PSY, etc. Guess what the Comparative Literature courses were? They changed the abbreviation for some reason years later. It always got lots of snickers from the humanities majors This was in the 1980s; what took them so long to change it?

Cool! That means one could take courses in CLIT and Anal Geom in the same term.

Alan

[sinenomine]

Did we go to the same school, tee bee?  I was a Comp Lit major, despite the laughs....

*Snort.* I teach public policy at the MA and PhD level. I tell my students, when I find this error, to set their autocorrect in Word (most of them use it) to always correct "pubic" to "public." I know that I have mine set up. Or just run  a search and destroy on the word. But it always comes up once a term, and is good for laughs and is a teachable moment. Since I don't teach A&P in the bio department, I don't have to worry about the "public bone." Although, when I was a kid, I never understood why they kept talking about "public hair" in the books I was given to read about "the changes." I clearly had never heard the proper word before.

As to the other slip: this reminds me of my alma mater's system for abbreviating subjects, using two to three characters: PS, SOC, GEO, ECON, HLTH, PSY, etc. Guess what the Comparative Literature courses were? They changed the abbreviation for some reason years later. It always got lots of snickers from the humanities majors This was in the 1980s; what took them so long to change it?

[docsavage]

Cool! That means one could take courses in CLIT and Anal Geom in the same term.

Alan

*snicker* Awesome!

[gaspode]

This semester I was railing against the students not proofreading before submitting assignments.  Mostly I talked about "your, you're" and "there, they're, their."  I said, "Please proof your papers and look closely at homophobes."

[tinyzombie]

This semester I was railing against the students not proofreading before submitting assignments.  Mostly I talked about "your, you're" and "there, they're, their."  I said, "Please proof your papers and look closely at homophobes."

I almost choked on my cough drop with the laughing.

Welcome to the fora!

[tuxedo_cat]

The only thing I can say in my defense is that we were in the middle of talking about the Wife of Bath, who does indeed spend a lot of time talking about her lady parts. Not that we were using terminology that's in any way more racy than "queynte."

I would say that Chaucer presents an occupational hazard on this score.  While lecturing once about The Miller's Tale, I really did actually use the phrase, "Well, he [Nicholas] doesn't beat around the bush."  And only realized this as the phrase was coming out of my mouth. . .
If I had had any self-possession, I would have followed that with a subtle "ba-dump bump ksshhhh.  Thank you I'll be here all week."

I have to imagine that Chaucer is giggling in his Westminster grave every time this happens.