Has anyone been insulted by a teacher or professor?

[Godhumor]

For full disclosure I was a teacher for 6 years and am now a full-time graduate student.

Anyway, today I spoke to a professor about something I thought was misgraded on the homework. I showed him my work, started going into an explanation, and he cut me off. He then told me to shut up, that I was grade grubbing, and it wasn't going to help. I'm still rather shocked at that accusation, and, in the past week, I know I've gotten off pretty light.

One professor called on a student in class after returning the midterm last week and asked them, in public, if they were trying to fail out. Same professor told one of my friend's that, "I don't understand why this is difficult for you, I don't have time to teach it to you, good luck with the next test."

I know these are tiny examples, but, after monitoring everything I said to students so carefully for 6 years, I can't help but to express my surprise.

[devilgrrl]

1. Yes. Throughout my schooling.

Most likely because I wasn't a very good student. At the time I remember not quite understanding much of the subject matter, especially in Math and English. Concentration was next to impossible, I could not keep focused and was very easily distracted. There weren't tutors available, you could either do the work or you couldn't. Confidence was a major issue as well, I didn't think I was smart enough, so why try?

I'm aware that this has absolutely nothing to do with your OP but I thought I'd share anyway. :-)

[Breeze54]

2. From Kindergarten through 10th grade!

I couldn't catch a break! :grr:

[laylah]

3. I'd be lodging a complaint

against that Professor in a heartbeat! You pay them to teach you, not abuse you, and verbal abuse it was! Told you to "shut up"??!!!!!!!!! OMG!

[Aristus]

4. I had a teacher once who used to berate and insult students until they cried.

I was on the receiving end of one of his tirades, and I welled up a little...


He was brutal.

[Kerrytravelers]

5. One of my professors in J-School was a total ass.

He would write things like "You suck" and "Why are you here" and "How can your mother possibly be proud of you?" across the tops of our papers. The first time or two, it was shocking. But by the third week, we just blew him off as an a-hole. It still hurt, but I chalked him and his class up to being a waste of time. I tried to switch classes, but the department wouldn't let it happen. Apparently they only put students in his class who are able to not take his insults personally. They misjueged that skill in me. I took it real hard in the beginning.

In regards to the "How can your mother possibly be proud of you?" comment, he actually wrote that once acorss the apper of someone whose mother had died. Real compassionate. ANd the thing is, the professor didn't seem to get why this student was so upset.

[SacredCow]

6. I only had one that was REALLY out of control.....

The kind that gloats on the first day of class that NOBODY makes an honest-to-goodness A in her class (pre curve). I ended up with a B, and endured her speeches every day that we should all change our majors, etc....

The next semester, I passed her on the road with a flat tire. Traffic was moving slow, so I rolled down my window to be sure she saw me. She recognized me and gave me the "please help" look. I just laughed and said "you ought to quit driving if you can't change a tire...."

[last_texas_dem]

7. I can't think of anything too harsh

Other than this coach that I had in Junior High who was a major dick. I can't remember him ever personally insulting me too hard but he was often on my case, singling me out to harass about something or other. He'd always yell loudly, in front of a P. E. class of like sixty students doing push-ups, "Last_texas_dem, get your butt out of the air!" You know, really embarrassing stuff like that. He was a jerk to several of the non-athletic kids in the class, but I tended to really take stuff personally, especially at that age, and I do think he singled me out. My dad was the principal at the school, and thus his boss, so I wondered if they didn't get along or something and he was taking it out on me. Either way, he made my sixth grade P. E. class more dreadful than it needed to be- and P. E. classes are pretty much guaranteed to suck anyway if you're not an athlete, due to the hazing, getting picked at the end for sports, etc.

Also, I remember one of my teachers telling my mom when she ran into her at the store that I was "so right-brained." Which I don't think was meant as an insult, but I found kind of funny, just because the main thing I associate being right-brained with is being good at art, which I am really not. Maybe she assumed that because I'm not very good at math (what she taught) that I must naturally be good at art. I'm really more of an English/Literature and History/Poli-Sci person in terms of what I'm better at/more interested in. I'm not sure what side of the brain those are more associated with.

Oh yeah, and come to think of it, there was this one world history teacher that I had in high school, who used to talk shit on me once I was no longer a student. He was this far-right "libertarian" guy who spent three-quarters of the class talking about his politics and trying to brainwash all the young, apolitical kids to buy into his garbage. I was about the only person in there who would occasionally argue with him which I guess annoyed him. Anyway, my cousin had him four years later and said that he would read my politically liberal letters to the editor that I had written to the local paper out loud to the class and argue with them. Now he just seems kind of pathetic, but at the time I remember it pissing me off.

[Godhumor]

10. Oh, my wife has the end all be all of coach stories

Keep in mind she is Japanese and was in the Japanese school system a number of years ago when things were decidedly less progressive...

In junior high school my wife was a member of the track and cross-country team. Her coach apparently got really annoyed at the entire female team and had them line up against the wall. He then went down the row and slapped every girl across the face.

My wife's mother went after this guy to the board of education, but they refused to take disciplinary action. I do know my wife was pulled from the team the day after this incident.

[last_texas_dem]

12. Wow, that's awful

and it's pretty crazy that the board of education wouldn't do anything about it. I'm sorry she had to deal with that.

[ThomCat]

8. I had a fundamentalist grad student mock me in front of the class

because I'm openly gay. She also said that gay people don't deserve civil rights because we're just sinners.

The department removed her from that teaching position pretty quickly when I complained. That course was cross-listed with the women's studies department, and I know a hell of a lot of the professors over there.

[bamademo]

9. All the time, I just give it back.

[Adsos Letter]

11. When I was an undergrad....

one of my professors wrote in the margin of one of my papers: "Interesting...but not very."

It was no big deal, but it seemed like an unnecessary shot...

[Mr. Blonde]

13. Most of mine have been pretty cool

although one who regularly called on people would give some a hard time if they didn't know the answer. But it wasn't really mean spirited I didn't think. And it didn't happen until he had gotten a handle on who could take it.

[Ahpook]

14. I had a couple Highschool teachers that were jerks.

My senior year history teacher seemed to have it in for me after i asked questions about the Native Americans that didn't quite work with their shitty history books. She said i will never amount to a thing... blah, blah.

My drafting teacher once asked me why am i even in his class. My parents went to the school on that one. I really did enjoy that class and he could have been less of a prick. He was always on me with remarks like that.

After the meeting he said my final drawing would be my final grade in his class. I ended with a C+. I worked my ass off on that drawing as well:(

Fuck him, he got a nice surprise last day of school. I am sure he had to push his Kawasaki home :evilgrin:

Mr. Atkins... fuck you:)

[AnnieBW]

15. Twice that I can think of

When I was in first grade, we were watching the moon landings. I told my teacher that I wanted to be an astronaut when I grew up. She told me that I couldn't, because girls weren't allowed to be astronauts. :mad:

The other time was in college, specifically Introduction to Computer Science. The professor at my women's college said that "we were just there so that we could understand what the guys at the Carnegie-Mellon frats were talking about." It wasn't directed at me personally, but at the whole class, but it was pretty damn insulting. Needless to say, she didn't return the next year. I kind of wish I knew where she was, so when I get my MS in Information Science, I can shove it in her face. :argh:

[Chovexani]

16. My high school bio teacher was a total asshole

She was a born again fundie who went to my mom's church and was BFF with her. She got me into the gifted kids program, so I was pretty much beholden to her. She constantly harangued me about being Wiccan, narc'd on me to my mom on several occasions, and sat on her hands while her little minions in the Bible Club vandalized the shrine in my locker. She mocked me for sitting out on dissections due to religious objections, and just generally made my life hell.

She also tried to sneak in Creationist shit whenever she could, but she was sneaky about it and made sure she never actually broke rules, just danced on the line (this was a public school).

Fortunately, the second half of my freshman year, I got the other bio teacher in the gifted program, who was openly bi and very liberal minded. I was reading the Teachings of Don Juan after I finished a test early (this was before I knew Casteneda was a fraud), and we had a pretty cool discussion about it. :)

[Wapsie B]

17. I had a Nursing instructor one time giving pre-natal classes.

She was giving a lecture about nutrition and diet, showing her disgust for anyone overweight and staring at me the entire time. That female dog can kiss my ass.


edit: What never ceases to amaze me is that as a healthcare worker I am held to a much higher standard of behavior than any teacher in this thread. I go off on a patient or family member like these instructors did and I'll promptly have my ass handed to me. In no uncertain terms. I don't have a teacher's union or faculty tenure saving my sorry ass.

[LibraLiz1973]

18. I really hope you go to the dean. Your PAYING for this education

Don't let some asshole talk to you like that.
If for no other reason than the fact that you know he will
do it to others.

[Godhumor]

19. The interesting thing about my school

Is those teacher evaluations we have to fill out actually lead to disciplinary actions. My action now is talking with classmates to see if we can get a universal theme across in our end of the class private evaluations to the department's dean. Just a few weeks ago student feedback was used to force a subpar professor to change his teaching style or face reassignment/possible termination (first year professor so no tenure). I know two other professors were asked to transfer out of the department last year due to student feedback.

So far, a teammate (we've been assigned to work in groups of 5) has come forward to say the professor who went after me also told her, "I can't teach you how to make a Power Point that is graphically based. You either learn it or you don't." Considering he wants all his Power Point assignments with less than 36 words per slide, I thought his comment was over the line.

Oh yes, I documented his words to me today in our private internet time-stamped file. If a student chooses to release it to the admin, it goes in with the date of incidents as well. Haven't decided if I'll release it yet, but at least it is documented.

[Fox Mulder]

20. Yes, by two professors in college.

I turned them both in to the dean. She didn't do a damn thing about it, though.

[rockymountaindem]

21. Just last week, yes, but over an administrative not an academic matter

I was pretty surprised.

[mitchum]

22. I had three professors assign "The Awakening" and I found that to be insulting

[mike_c]

23. hmmmm-- I wonder if any of my students are posting in this thread....

I'm in a pissy mood so don't be spoiling my office hours with your petty stupid problems! We could run a damned fine university if it weren't for all the students cluttering up the place....

:rofl:

[Left Is Write]

24. Yes. I could give you a few examples.