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Disrespect in the Classroom

Posted on by Brooke

Dr. Crazy writes a post on dealing with disrespect from students, whether from individuals or a group. Her main point is that male professors come across blatant disrespect in the classroom more occasionally, while for women it’s more like a predictable, quarterly grind.

Both the post and comments include testimony on kinds of in-class disrespect and ways of addressing it. As usual, I appreciate Crazy’s hard-earned judgments. In her experience, calling the behavior out explicitly and rejecting it as inappropriate is the only way to nip it in the bud, whereas a policy of appeasement ends up serving nobody.

Go read the post and comments if the subject is of interest, whether you are a teacher or student.

What sorts of disrespect have you seen in the classroom—anything from teacher-directed stuff like challenging the syllabus, to killing one’s peer’s right to a collaborative classroom by refusing to engage the material in discussion? Any stories, with or without resolutions?