Disrespectful to instructor....

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Sep 21, 2006

What a timely thread. I lost my temper (sort of) in my chem lab class last week. I am feeling like an indignant 'new' elder. It seems so recent that I was the younger generation, and now I'm feeling like a little old lady yearning for yester-year. I hope that makes sense.

Anyway - last week in chem lab some young men at the table next to me were going on about some young woman that they apparently don't think highly of. Four letter words dominated the conversation. Now this is a relatively small lab room. Meaning everyone can hear everyone else unless you are whispering. These students can be as vulgar as they wish on campus - just not during class or lab. That is my time. I find this vulgar language to be so disrespectful to the instructor too. I cannot fathom using four letter words with the instructor happening to be 10 feet away.

Anyway, last week in lab I heard the word that broke the floodgates of my wrath - something that rhymes with 'runt.' I slammed by lab book down, turned around and locked my eyes on the young man speaking a few feet away. I was seething with anger. I locked my eyes on him. Slowly everyone stopped within a few feet stopped talking. I was glaring at him. He turned bright red. After a few loaded seconds, we all went back to our work, quietly.

I don't understand these young people. This culture of using ugly language in every sentence, and around instructors to boot. It is so disrespectful. I've never seen an instructor tell a student to stop such language. On the flip side - I do have an instructor who uses four letter words in every lecture herself. I don't think these students are receiving proper feedback from those around them that this isn't acceptable. So they persist.

These students seem to pepper nearly every sentence with words like "slut" and "that's so gay" and the four letter words we all know. I just don't understand it. I truly don't. When I was a young person (not so many years ago) we would sometimes hear or say four letter words, but it wasn't with every sentence, and it wasn't in ways so routinely vulgar towards women. I don't recall so much mainstream misogyny. What has happened?

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Sep 22, 2006

I don't understand these young people.

I don't understand why people think it's the young people. It's people in general, regardless of age that have gotten worse over time.

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Sep 22, 2006

I don't understand why people think it's the young people. It's people in general, regardless of age that have gotten worse over time.

Hi there Marie. I didn't say "the young people" referring to them all. I referred to "these young people" meaning these young people who are using such language at my school. I talk with young people daily who do not use such language.

I just know that when I was late teens and early twenties - I didn't hear vulgar language within my age group to the degree I hear it now with that age group. I'm not blaming them. They clearly haven't been taught and socialized that this is unacceptable.

IaCountryGirl · Sep 22, 2006

I am just in prereq's but I know what you mean. I have one class I go to the school for and some of the girls in there are just plain rude. They are too busy eating, whipping out their cellphones and whispering to one another.

THe instructor for this class is VERY cool. She's a riot! These girls are just being disrespectful to her.

Tonight she must have finally gotten fed up because we were in a class discussion and this one student near me was saying something. The instructor whips around to the girls (who are on the other side of the room) and said "Hi, excuse me. Do you have something to add? Because I can hear you talking. Otherwise, knock it off". THen she apologized to the student who was speaking about class related stuff. Too funny!

She also got ticked off because we had two assignments that were due today. Not only was one of them on our syllabus but she went over them last week in class as well. Well, certain people weren't prepared (Can you guess who?? Wasn't me!) and she said "Why do I get the feeling some of you are only here because it's a requirement for your programs? The non verbal cues you are giving me speak volumes". OUr assignments and class discussion were over, what else, verbal and non verbal communication.

Anyway, would it really kill them to shut up for a couple hours? So the class isn't the most interesting. Yes it gets down right boring at times. But for petes sake, show some respect for the other students and the instructor.

catzy5 · Sep 22, 2006

Well I have seen a few things since coming back to school 3 years ago and the best was my math proffessour, whom would not put up with anything. I go to a community college so perhaps the kids coming in are fresh out of high school and he needed stronger ways of diciplinning but we had some really rude kids in my math class that would just interupt talk amongst themselves and be darn right rude to the teacher to his face I felt like I was back in JR High. He was very strict about things like cell phones and one guy his kept going off so after the 2nd time one day the teacher gave him a "time out" I loved it it was perfect he said, you have a problem obviously take your cell phone outside for 15min finish your business then come back in, if it rings again you go home for the day, the kid actually went for his time out, I told my kids that story they still remember it, it was the BEST lol.

catherine

jesa · Sep 22, 2006

I'm a returning student and noticed the same thing. I'm amazed. the thing I find most irritating is students text messaging each other all through class. PUT DOWN THE PHONE. also, many students bring computers to class, which I think is great, but you can go online from anywere on campus, so many are talking to their friends online. I am close to some of my professors in age but would never think to speak to them with anything BUT respect!

xt1 · Sep 22, 2006

I like the mean teachers who kick student out of class for being interruptive or rude. now, everytime I see someone walking around with a cellphone glued to their ear it makes me think that much less of them... It makes me think of them as less intelligent for some reason. not sure why just does...

prinsessa · Sep 23, 2006

There are also some rude people in my classes. I think people are getting ruder. My DD is 8 and I can't believe some of the words that come out of some of the kids who go to her school mouths. I have told them several time to watch what they say. I would never have talked like that at that age especially in front of an adult.

It isn't only young people though because I used to waitress and some of the "older" people were extremely rude. There are rude people of all ages.

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Sep 23, 2006

I had chem lab again today. The instructor asked everyone "how do you like this lab?" The foul mouthed student from last week answered "it's looking like sh**." I turned around so surprised. The instructor said something like "watch your" then stopped. It's like she didn't have the nerve to tell him not to speak that way in class. This blows my mind.

LaceyRN · Sep 23, 2006

I had chem lab again today. The instructor asked everyone "how do you like this lab?" The foul mouthed student from last week answered "it's looking like sh**." I turned around so surprised. The instructor said something like "watch your" then stopped. It's like she didn't have the nerve to tell him not to speak that way in class. This blows my mind.

I have a soft spoken Psychology teacher, but if someone does or says something she doesn't like she let's them know. She will look them straight in the eye and say, "See me after class." The way she says it lets everyone know she means business and it also takes the stress out of the situation for everyone in class so we don't have to witness the confrontation in the classroom.

Multicollinearity, BSN, RN · Sep 23, 2006

I would love to think that happened. That would be the smart way of dealing with the situation. I was last to leave (as usual) and she didn't speak with him. She can't leave the lab room even for a minute (lab rules) with any students present.

He must use this sort of language IN CLASS because nobody has told him not to. I do think it's that simple.

metalmom · Sep 23, 2006

WOW!!! Amazing. Are these nursing classes? At my school you would have been out on your wanna-be-a-nurse butt if you showed any kind of disrespect, lawyer or no lawyer, to the instructors. Our RN license was dangled in front of our faces and if we wanted it that bad, well just you try to get it. It paid off. My school is well respected in this community and turns out great nurses. I'm hoping that schools aren't turning out nurses that can't even show respect to those that are training them.