Classroom Management - Sleeping Student

[kerprof]

If he's a grad student, I doubt he is in a frat (or at least the type of frat that would use sleep deprivation as part of a hazing ritual). And, I also doubt that you take attendance in a class that is attended by graduate students. If he's not answering your generous inquiry of concern, then let things work out naturally. You've done your job, and done all that you can for him. It's up to him now.

I'm going to disagree with this-- falling asleep once is one thing, but if it happening regularly it is a sign something is wrong. Could be a sleep disorder. Could be depression. If this was a grad student in my class, and they didn't respond to my attempts to check in, I would alert the DGS.

Sorry to sound stupid. What is DGS?

[mamselle]

Director of Graduate Studies.

M.

[kerprof]

I am wondering if I should check with the other faculty, whose classes this student is taking this semester, on how this student is doing in their classes.

[sinenomine]

That a graduate student didn't reply to an email from a professor is also concerning.

[Langue_doc]

This needs to be bumped up to the DGS as others have suggested.

[Puget]

I am wondering if I should check with the other faculty, whose classes this student is taking this semester, on how this student is doing in their classes.

That is the DGS' role-- don't do this yourself as you don't really have a right to that information unless you are their advisor (and I'm sure you would have said if you were). Alert the DGS, they will do the follow up.

[lightning]

If he's a grad student, I doubt he is in a frat (or at least the type of frat that would use sleep deprivation as part of a hazing ritual). And, I also doubt that you take attendance in a class that is attended by graduate students. If he's not answering your generous inquiry of concern, then let things work out naturally. You've done your job, and done all that you can for him. It's up to him now.

I'm going to disagree with this-- falling asleep once is one thing, but if it happening regularly it is a sign something is wrong. Could be a sleep disorder. Could be depression. If this was a grad student in my class, and they didn't respond to my attempts to check in, I would alert the DGS.

I won't argue with this. Sincere concern for students is always good. However, if the OP is going to go out of the way to look out for the welfare of this particular student, then the OP should also show concern for any student cases where students are not showing up, students are not performing well, and/or any other signs of duress or mitigating circumstances that may be impacting a students health and performance. Maybe the school has an early warning system.

Kerprof, do you take attendance and assign a grade for attendance? How is the student doing in your class, in terms of graded assessments? If they are falling asleep all the time, surely they are not "getting it" and are flunking . . . .

I had a rough patch of several weeks in grad school where I was falling asleep in class and other grad-school-related activities. Waking up to the other students making fun of me was enough for me to do something about my problem. I ended up cutting down on the other things that were taking up too much of my time, so I could use more of the freed up time for sleep.

Of course, I cannot compare my own experiences with the OP's grad student because everyone's back story is different. However, if the grad student can't even return the OP's genuine email about the grad student's welfare, well, heck, WTF?

It's great, Kerprof, that you will check with other faculty, to see if he also falls asleep in other classes. You should also check to see how they are doing grade-wise. You do truly care and that is to be commended. But there is only so much you can do as a professor. You are not a social worker. Puget does give good advice about passing the buck to the DGS.

[the_geneticist]

Kick it up the chai of command as others said.
Also, it might not be a sign of a health concern, it's possible the student is just being unprofessional and rude.
I had a sleeping student once that when asked if they were ok, I was concerned, etc said that they were sleeping because my class "was boring". 

[marshwiggle]

Kick it up the chai of command as others said.

Sounds like a power drink.

[Caracal]

Kick it up the chai of command as others said.
Also, it might not be a sign of a health concern, it's possible the student is just being unprofessional and rude.
I had a sleeping student once that when asked if they were ok, I was concerned, etc said that they were sleeping because my class "was boring".

Maybe? I had one particular class in undergrad where I really struggled to stay awake. It had nothing to do with the instructor or the material, and it wasn't happening in other classes. It was just that the class was right after lunch, the sun came right through the window and I just kept nodding off. I was a TA for a class once where I had a similar issue-fortunately I was way in the back and neither the instructor nor the students could see me, but the other TA had to elbow me awake a few times.

That said, I didn't just fall asleep. The only time that happened was a couple of times in astronomy class in the planetarium with the lights off at 830 in the morning. Every other time, I was catching myself falling asleep and jerking awake. A grad student should also be able to figure this out if it happens more than once...The class where I was a TA I started bringing in a cup of coffee.

[mamselle]

Did I already post this, or was it on the Old Forum?

Anyway, there was some note in the Readers' Digest, long ago, on this.

One young woman said the reason she could stay awake for her 8 AM class each day was that she put her contacts in ice water.

Not sure if you can still do that with soft lenses, now, but...

M.

[apl68]

Kick it up the chai of command as others said.

Sounds like a power drink.

There was a time when only members of the Emperor's household were allowed to drink it.  You knew you had arrived when the Emperor had it served to you.

If the Chai of Command doesn't keep a student from dozing off in class, nothing will.

[the_geneticist]

Kick it up the chai of command as others said.

Sounds like a power drink.

There was a time when only members of the Emperor's household were allowed to drink it.  You knew you had arrived when the Emperor had it served to you.

If the Chai of Command doesn't keep a student from dozing off in class, nothing will.

I think I've missed a marketing opportunity! 

[Aster]

I had a geometry teacher in high school that would spray sleeping students with the water gun that he used to clean off his overhead projector.

I'm pretty sure that some students feigned sleeping just so that they'd be sprayed.

[marshwiggle]

I had a geometry teacher in high school that would spray sleeping students with the water gun that he used to clean off his overhead projector.

I'm pretty sure that some students feigned sleeping just so that they'd be sprayed.

Today that would get the teacher fired, and the school sued. (And probably the principal would have to resign as well.) And all proverbial Hell would break loose if the student was not a straight cis white male.