Topic: Bang Your Head on Your Desk - the thread of teaching despair!

[Istiblennius]

I don't think I've ever encountered this problem before, and I don't think there's much I can do about it, so this may be more of a vent than anything. I've got a core group of students who are also taking another class. For some reason, they absolutely despise this other class and because it just happens to be held an hour before our session, they are coming in hot.

Not only is it taking some time and energy to overcome the grumpy attitudes so that we can engage positively in our discussion topics for the day, they have also taken to increasingly gossiping and grousing about the other instructor openly, which I don't care for. I know they've talked to the other instructor about their concerns, and I also know at least one of them has shared those concerns with our Department Head as well. I'd prefer to stay completely out of it, but their experience in this other class is becoming increasingly disruptive to my class. Our Department Head is excellent and now that the students have spoken with them, I'm optimistic things may improve, but it is just one more thing that is making this Winter term even more unbearable than usual.

[mythbuster]

Istiblennius, my suggestions come with a lot of caveats. IF you think these are fairly mature students, I might pull them aside after class and politely mention that their mood is impacting discussions. BUT I would only do that if you think you can avoid getting pulled into things and they would be receptive. No matter what, I would actively avoid making any commentary about other faculty members.
   If not, I might just start a few classes with a short mindfulness activity to get everyone to refocus on the topic of your class. A short reflective writing can also work to get them to focus, or even just a fun YouTube clip that is on topic.
   

[Istiblennius]

I do have some opening activities we usually do to get on track and those always help with the transition into classtime. Usually those are lightweight, but a more intentional metacognitive focus activity might make a difference as they have been getting more disgruntled.

Definitely have no interest in getting sucked into this quagmire. Last week, when I reminded them I was *right there* as they started to gossip, they kind of hemmed and hawed and then started griping some more. I suggested that while it is not possible to control how another person responds to you, you can certainly control your response and to focus on that, and that they should share their concerns directly with their instructor and then with the department head in that order. 

[mamselle]

Depending on the feeling overall, I might even take a stern tone with them for a moment and say something like, "Do you realize that part of your job as a student is to learn to learn from everyone, and whenever you block that learning by focusing on negative rather than positive inputs from an instructor, you are not doing your job?"

If the person is really egregiously bad, unnecessarily punitive, or even abusive, that's a different issue.

But if it's a matter of style or approach, they might do well with a reminder that real-world bosses, advanced class instructors, and others, may have more to offer than their tone or manner suggests, and the students need to think about that.

If it happened again, I'd probably say something like, "If this is such a distraction you can't pay attention in class, take it outside, and come back when you're ready to concentrate."

The rest of the class deserves not to be interrupted, after all.

M.

[the_geneticist]

Oof, that sort of negative energy can really disrupt a class.  Maybe try something that acknowledges their feelings & give them a bit of a transition? 
You are upset.
You can be upset.
Let's take 2 minutes to write down everything that you are upset about.
Now, take that paper & crumple it up & throw it away.
Take a few deep breaths. [inhale 1, 2, 3, 4,; exhale 1, 2, 3, 4]
OK, so for today's class . . .

[Hegemony]

I would just say, "Back on topic. Now, as we saw last week..."

[AvidReader]

Can you briefly acknowledge, without getting involved, that the students are stressed/annoyed, and then tell them that learning to compartmentalize is a very useful professional skill? They will almost certainly have other instances in their lives in which they will need to transition between a tense/difficult situation and another unrelated activity with very little time to decompress. I would give them a few strategies for this decompression (including the excellent ones already on this thread) and then ask them to practice professionalism.

I've also used, "I completely understand why you are frustrated, and if you need to escalate this, you should talk to [appropriate admin, which it sounds as if they already have]. At this time, the school is paying me to teach you and your classmates [this class], and you and they are paying to receive this instruction, so I want to make sure I satisfy that obligation. Let's switch gears and talk about . . ."

AR.

[mythbuster]

If you have a group activity, I would also just split them up. Unless they are gossiping to each other fully across the room!

[Istiblennius]

Lots of helpful feedback (and affirmations since the majority of suggestions align with what I'm already doing).
With our department head now contacted by a student, I suspect this is going to move on like the passing cloud that it is. Our department head is really good at hearing students and defusing situations, while not undermining instructors.

Knowing the students and instructor involved, it's a perfect storm of an instructor who does challenge students in positive ways, but is also themselves pretty disorganized so that can feel like a double standard (think no accommodations for late work from a person who is is themselves always late with pretty much everything).

[the_geneticist]

Students, a positive COVID test is not a "get out of all assignments free" card.
One, vaccinated & asymptomatic folks aren't even required to isolate.  It's recommended, but only for 5 days.
Two, I have created online versions of the assignments.  You can still do them.
Three, I am not psychic.  If you don't tell me you were absent AND you don't do the online assignment, the TA will just put a 0 in the grade book and call it done.

[sinenomine]

The students in my literature survey course have a paper due today; they've known about it for weeks and I ask in every class if there are questions I can answer about it. I got an email at 2:00 this morning from a student asking what I mean by saying that they can write about any reading on the syllabus — does that mean the two anthologies we're using as textbooks?

This is an upper-level course with students who should know how to read a syllabus and to budget their time to work on assignments...

[statsgeek]

Dear students,

When you make an online appointment to look at an issue within [software], please have [software] pulled up on your computer when you log into the appointment.  Otherwise, you're just wasting both of our time.

[Biologist_]

Dear students,

When you make an online appointment to look at an issue within [software], please have [software] pulled up on your computer when you log into the appointment.  Otherwise, you're just wasting both of our time.

Wait...do you mean they should open [software] and not just a Google doc with screenshots from [software]?

[kiana]

Dear students,

When you make an online appointment to look at an issue within [software], please have [software] pulled up on your computer when you log into the appointment.  Otherwise, you're just wasting both of our time.

Wait...do you mean they should open [software] and not just a Google doc with screenshots from [software]?

Blurry cell phone shots of their computer screen displaying [software] but never the actual issues.

[AmLitHist]

I had an appointment with my foot doctor this morning. I told my TR class that I'd be holding class via Teams today, even if the forecast storm would actually materialize, because we're already a week behind the schedule.

Got a text at 6:45 a.m.:  school will be closed.

Sent a reminder email to my class about the lecture at 7:30--"log in if you want, or watch the recording later."

At 11, a couple signed in, and I recorded the entire lecture (about plagiarism avoidance and incorporating info effectively--which we should have been done with already last week).

At 12:25, I went to post the link to the recording in Blackboard, and Teams said, "There was an error in Teams and your meeting recording has not been processed." 

So much for being student-centered, taking time on a day off to actually teach, etc.  I should've just gone back to bed (esp. since the doc's office called and cancelled the appointment).

Thunk-thunk-THUD!