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[yumyumdonuts]

I am a visible minority and I have had some odd interactions with minorities at my school, in particular students. I wonder if this is common, which is why I'm posting.

Basically, I would say that half of my interactions with minority students have been extremely positive and they end up having me as their mentor on research or internship projects. The other half have been strained in that they don't attend class and are generally poor performers. Their writing skills are non-existent and they don't try to improve despite my feedback.  They are also at times vocal about their dissatisfaction with me or my class. What gives? Does anyone have any tips on reaching the half that seem to not care? I am at a selective LAC so it frustrates me when students disappear from class with no explanation.

I'm going to have several of these poor performers in a course in my specialty topic next semester and needless to say, I am not looking forward to it. (Plus I am demotivated anyway because of my department's decision to not support pretenure reappointment. The official decision from the college-wide committee is handed down next semester).

[mended_drum]

This may sound like a silly question, but is there some reason to expect that all, or even most, members of your minority group that are your students will bond with you, take your advice, and be good students?  Or are you concerned because the number of those you don't reach is greater than the numbers you don't reach that aren't in your minority group?

[yumyumdonuts]

Actually, the ones that don't seem to like me so much have not been in my specific racial group, but point well taken.

I guess I'm of the perspective that since we're all minorities that there should be some common experience we can relate to, and in turn that I would be treated with a bit more respect.

[zharkov]

You expect that people would be nicer to you than they often are in reality.

[yumyumdonuts]

Yep, zharkov, I do expect people to treat me, and one another, much better than they actually do. Perhaps I need to expect the worse from others from here on out.

[lasquires]

I may be misreading you, but you seem to be conflating the performance and demonstrated effort of your students in the classroom with their respect for you as a person. Though their failure to try or to perform well may feel like a personal affront at times, in the vast majority of cases, it isn't. Students don't sabotage their academic performance to spite their instructors. Their failures in the classroom are the product of a whole host of issues that begin and end with them. You can intervene and attempt to help them improve, but, to borrow a saying from Tim Gunn, you can't want them to succeed more than they do.

In other words, I don't think the issue is that you expect too much from people but that you inappropriately (at least for this cultural context) read certain behaviors as measures of respect when they really aren't. You don't need to lower your expectations for basic civility. You need to sort out what's "about you" from what isn't.

[yumyumdonuts]

lasquires, what you've posted makes a lot of sense and I ought to follow your advice. BUT what makes it difficult to follow your advice is when these same students (not every student, but enough to make one notice) respond differently to the rest of the faculty in my department who are White. That's why at times I can't separate the "me" aspects from what the student may have going on in his/her life.

[lasquires]

lasquires, what you've posted makes a lot of sense and I ought to follow your advice. BUT what makes it difficult to follow your advice is when these same students (not every student, but enough to make one notice) respond differently to the rest of the faculty in my department who are White. That's why at times I can't separate the "me" aspects from what the student may have going on in his/her life.

That's the piece I was missing then. Without knowing more about the specific ways in which those interactions are different, it's hard to say what that's about exactly.

[msparticularity]

Yumyum, I'm wondering whether a lot of this has to do with different cultural constructions of respect. Do I gather correctly that your culture is one in which an educator is automatically accorded a tremendous degree of respect? If so, then does it follow that there is a certain degree of distance between the teacher and student--a sort of "arm's length" relationship in terms of interpersonal communication? Is the student expected to be quite deferential and to be grateful for the teacher's attention--even (or especially) when that attention consists largely of critique, because the understanding is that the teacher is helping the student to do better?

If so, this perspective may be a large part of your difficulty in your current setting. While this is certainly the norm in many parts of the world, it is not in most of the U.S.--particularly at SLACs. At the typical SLAC, the expectation is for substantial relationship between teacher and student, with nurturing and personal interest as a feature of the mentoring. You may, in other words, be working with students who expect a degree of emotional closeness and mentoring that are quite foreign to your experiences. And although some of those students may be visible minorities like yourself, they may also have become accustomed to the prevailing mode of communication at your institution, and to expect the same of you.

I am, incidentally, not a visible minority (although I am multiracial). I offer these comments based upon my experiences with my international students; I work with many from China and Vietnam, and we have discussed these issues extensively. I apologize if I have misunderstood your situation, or essentialized your experience.

[yumyumdonuts]

I grew up in the US, but did have parents who emphasized respect for those in the teaching profession (among other professions). I also feel that my positive relationships with minority and non-minority students have been exactly as you characterize faculty-student relationships ought to be at a SLAC such as the one I'm at. So it's been a puzzling experience for me.

[msparticularity]

I grew up in the US, but did have parents who emphasized respect for those in the teaching profession (among other professions). I also feel that my positive relationships with minority and non-minority students have been exactly as you characterize faculty-student relationships ought to be at a SLAC such as the one I'm at. So it's been a puzzling experience for me.

Ah--this is very interesting and, I agree, quite puzzling! I have another question for you, though, along the same lines: do you smile and laugh with your students? I have seen students respond poorly to faculty members who are quite serious, and in the particular cases I am thinking of, the effect seems to be compounded if the faculty member is also visibly a member of a minority group. I think I have also seen research on students' responses to female faculty, and the issue of appearing cheerful/happy.

[yumyumdonuts]

msparticularity, I think you're right about the laughing with students in class bit. While I enjoy humor, I'm never one to crack jokes in class like other faculty do. I smile as much as I can though.

I suppose that leads me to wonder about personality-career fit, which is something I've thought quite a lot about since starting this job and observing student-faculty interactions.

[msparticularity]

msparticularity, I think you're right about the laughing with students in class bit. While I enjoy humor, I'm never one to crack jokes in class like other faculty do. I smile as much as I can though.

I suppose that leads me to wonder about personality-career fit, which is something I've thought quite a lot about since starting this job and observing student-faculty interactions.

You know, I think the expectations for faculty vary quite a bit from place to place--and certainly among different types of institutions. SLACs quintessentially look for faculty commitment, involvement, and so on, while public institutions are interested in good teaching but may view it a bit differently.

Some of it is just finding our own style, too--which has gotten much easier for me with age. I'm not particularly funny, but I am something of a dork and don't mind letting my students in on that and laughing at myself. When I taught high school, and then later when I taught freshmen, I used to make kind of a "thing" of having them keep me up to date on current pop culture, slang, and so on--which they thought was a riot. Going along with that was just something that developed over time, though. It's not like I sat down and figured it out, though; it began to happen kind of accidentally and I just went with it.

[canadatourismguy]

You just have to be yourself...the respect wilcome if you are a genuine and good human being who treats your students with fairness and dignity.   For instance, trying to be funny when you are not.  People know when others are trying too hard or are being something they are not.  You can not be all things to all people.  This reality stinks but you do the best you can to reach as many as you can. 

[aside]

I'm going to have several of these poor performers in a course in my specialty topic next semester and needless to say, I am not looking forward to it. (Plus I am demotivated anyway because of my department's decision to not support pretenure reappointment. The official decision from the college-wide committee is handed down next semester).

I would encourage you to avoid the trap of letting the decisions of your department or college define who you will be in the classroom and workplace next semester, at least not in a negative sense.  I know this is difficult.  The demotivation you mention is a perfectly natural reaction to your situation, as are anger and resentment toward your colleagues.  You are doing the right thing by seeking ways to improve, and you have been getting excellent advice on this thread.   Continue to focus on what you can control and don't dwell on the negative.