Thursday, May 19, 2016

This week's big thirsty. Just under the wire. From Nick.

Q: My colleague always brags about her evals and how popular she is with students. This means she's a soft touch, a people pleaser, and probably a useless teacher, right?


10 comments:

  1. Not necessarily, but the bragging aspect makes me think she might be.

    I know some truly excellent teachers, with everything your colleague says she has, and they are always looking to improve, not score points or boast.

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  2. How does she do on a standard exam given by other faculty in your department? That's what matters most.

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  3. Like EC1, I'd be more worried about the bragging than her actual popularity (or lack thereof) with students. Needing approval (from students, colleagues, or both) is not a position of strength, and teaching effectively takes more than a bit of strength (which some people have, and exercise, and are popular with students anyway -- more power to them).

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  4. A: It means she's insecure as all fuck. It means she's K-T from Cali Mizzou. Or she's Wensleydale from my department, with student evals that positively correlate with student outcomes in follow-on courses (i.e., both bad, but it doesn't stop the bragging).

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    Replies
    1. For those who haven't been here as long as certain others and are not "in" on the joke,
      A bit of Kay Tea
      A bit more
      How Wensleydale sees himself
      How others see him
      .

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    2. A person may be defined by who their enemies are, and our enemies are simply fantastic.

      Delete
  5. RIGHT. I WEAR THEIR SCORN AS A BADGE OF HONOR. (Twitch! TWITCH!!)

    The faculty member here who wouldn't stop bragging about his here had a thick, German accent and the air of a child molester about him. Thank Doug almighty he's retired.

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  6. Brags about her evals? *shudder*
    At least she doesn't gloat about her chili pepper on The Site That Shall Not Be Named? I hope?

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  7. I have a colleague who bragged (gently) about her 85% "success" rate in her transfer comp courses. A librarian I trust implicitly asked my friend why high success prof's students were virtually illiterate. Low standards, ya think?

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