Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Support Group
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I loved the "I got tenure" honeymoon of the last week, but life goes on, right? Sure enough, I got disrespected big time in a class today. I let a student make up a test in one of my classes at the community college. She had no excuse, and it was weeks late, but I did. At the same time, the whole class had a test I gave on schedule.
So I graded the whole class's other tests on time and handed them back today. This student who made up the test from weeks ago, though, came up and demanded the one she made up. I said I have to keep up with the majority's work on time, and since she took the make up test later I'd grade it later. I asked her to be patient.
Her face twisted into a dark rage, and she stormed out. She went to the department director and demanded that the director come to class and stop class to make me do--what, I don't rightly know. She also got on her phone to her mom and other people.
I got an email from the director now saying I've got to meet with the director, the student's adviser, and the student. It's as if I did something wrong instead of doing her a favor my letting her make up a test she took late. I deserve to be a target of her rage for not grading it instantly ahead of everybody else who took their other test on time.
Yep, honeymoon's over. Teaching and stress, oh boy.
So I graded the whole class's other tests on time and handed them back today. This student who made up the test from weeks ago, though, came up and demanded the one she made up. I said I have to keep up with the majority's work on time, and since she took the make up test later I'd grade it later. I asked her to be patient.
Her face twisted into a dark rage, and she stormed out. She went to the department director and demanded that the director come to class and stop class to make me do--what, I don't rightly know. She also got on her phone to her mom and other people.
I got an email from the director now saying I've got to meet with the director, the student's adviser, and the student. It's as if I did something wrong instead of doing her a favor my letting her make up a test she took late. I deserve to be a target of her rage for not grading it instantly ahead of everybody else who took their other test on time.
Yep, honeymoon's over. Teaching and stress, oh boy.
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The weeks seem to fly by!Happy Saturday to everyoneI hope that the weekend brings some chill time and barbecuesDoes it take others what seems like forever to add a comment on the boards?I'm okay everywhere else except boards..Everywhere else adds normally but it's annoyingly slow!Have a great Saturday and do something nice for you!!Big hug...xo
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I'm feeling down,, and got alot on my mind right now. I got grief going on, on top my depression and anxiety and now I got to worry about somewhere to live since I can't afford living here since my mom passed. So many bad things have happened since my mom passed. One thing after another it seems. Yesterday our fence fell from a storm that hit, had to call someone to prop it up. Thank...
I don't understand why she was so upset, and I hope this whole thing blows over. :(
No go, student goes to some administrator, administrator calls a meeting and I have to put aside work to attend an extra meeting about it. Then another, and another. Then a meeting with their parents. It's a lot of energy to spend when patience would have paid off sooner.
In the end I look bad, like I don't serve students' needs. I end up feeling like a bad waiter in a restaurant and not like a teacher any more. It's odd how it happens so often. I don't have that "touch," I guess. A knack for this.
It overshadows the good things I do every day, the students who are well served and who are satisfied. So I'm really looking forward to retirement in 4 more years. God help me get there....
God help that girl. Real life has rules, and real life doesn't give you six meetings with Mommy by your side to fix it for you.... And she's lucky to have access to education. There's girls in South Asia who'd gladly take her place, if she'd like? Just sayin'....
What an odd feeling. My director and I are old and gray. She's closer to retirement than I am. Both of us agreed we'll deal with this, but we both also ended up talking about retirement, too.
People do stuff like that in the real world too, but it usually ends in being fired. ANd you might "get your way" in the short-term, but have a long-term reputation for trouble.
It's a shame. Today walking across campus I ran into a student from Africa who invited me to her wedding. It would be my first time as a guest to a Muslim wedding. And I had student email me privately asking how to get diagnosed because she's worried she might have PTSD from a car wreck she was in.
So every day students who had me in class have this really cool interactions administrators never see. But then they do see the one that I gave a make up test to who then complains because I didn't grade it fast enough after doing her a favor, and the reputation sticks.
In my experience the person who tells their story first usually has advantage. It leaves you to defend yourself, which I do not think is a good place for people with PTSD. Perhaps in the future you could give your boss and the student director and anyone else the heads up that this person might be coming or calling. That way you are no longer defending, the other person is.
Good luck!
Some professors are very strict with the students, I see why. With some professors, they would not let the students make up a test or any past work that is late. I remember when I attended a community college in the 1990s. I was lucky that I had a professor who worked with me on my late paper, and was very understanding. I also remember that there were some professors who would tell the students if they were going to be late for class, come in quietly and they were not going to repeat any assignments, the student would have to get notes from a classmate.
I think the student would have to work with the instructor if they want to do better in the class, not inspect the instructor to bend for them. They have a class full of people they have to make happy, those are the ones who want who are concerned about their grades in the class. It's not fair for you because if you do that for one student then other students would want the same treatment in the class and it'll probably put you behind.
This new generation of bands that we have encountered think that they deserve some automatic large payment for playing a bar that only has like 20 people in it. They whine and cry about it when they only get like 50 bucks and they bash the venue owners because Gods forbid that you get paid according to the amount of people that you bring in. They dont do any advertisement or promotion for themselves and they just expect that people will show up. So they whine an cray about that too.
Sorry I went on a rant for a moment. lol
What happened to you is a result of someone being taught that the world always revolves around them and they have been taught that it is okay to live this way. Their parents have not corrected this so therefore they have set their child up for failure. That little girl is going to get a huge smack in the face when she gets out in the real world where that behavior will get her absolutely nowhere.
I withstood their stigma toward me when I disclosed my PTSD last month in my tenure review, so now the door swings both ways. They have until Tuesday to come up with a plan so I won't be unsupported and run the risk that I might be "rude, arrogant, or impatient" to this student next time she reams me out in front of the whole class like she did on Tuesday.
The tenure committee expressed "grave concern" about that in writing when they gave me tenure, so I'm being that gravely concerned, too. I had a standing appointment with the VP about the general "grave concern" for Monday anyway, so it's great timing for me to make this an agenda item for that meeting before the next class with this disruptive student on Tuesday. Plus, on that same Monday I have the appointment with my psychiatrist to get back on meds as I promised the tenure committee I would do in my PTSD plan.
It's nice to have tenure and be out of the closet, too. I had to put up with the stigma so I could push back like this for my rights, too. Wish me luck pioneering what that means here.