My Professor: Getting him fired

[Winds of Thor]

I understand. I'm not the type of person to 'give in' though. It's not easy for me to see my grades and gpa pummeling down and my option chances for two possible careers be lowered.

Yea..two wrongs don't make a right.

 

[poppy]

I'm not into writing details. I expected people to take my word for it.

Oh my. Considering how stubborn you are, I'm surprised you're complaining about this professor.

 

[matmos]

1:17 +

YouTube - Transactional Analysis 3: games ....

 

[Oaky]

@poppy: I wish you could see him. (how many times did I say that in this thread?)

I see your point. My antenna are feet-long for crap like this that happens way too much in academia where it's the most political of all places one could work.

Academia-a place where right is wrong and wrong is 'right'-Shows how political it is for receiving a good education for your dollars to prevail. Terrible.

This is all believed combining intuition considering what you described.

You wouldn't have the motivation to make up all this. I mean, it's pointless. Typing details like this on a typology website if it weren't real? Experiencing the slurry of unwanted emotions that this has caused you in getting ripped-off from a bad professor! What would you get out of it? Nothing.

You are very deep in your understandings of people. I like how you look outside the box. You and BlackCat are quite exceptional at understanding people.

 

[Winds of Thor]

Let's start this again.

I want my professor fired. Is their any possible way to do it?

Original OP

Let's take the devil's advocate side of this for a moment which almost everyone else has opted for-Emotionally driven.

It's like saying:
"You jackass! How could you possibly disagree with this professor crapping on you!! I mean, don't you understand that you pay him, and he gets to rip you a new one! Just put up with it. He rules. You don't! Commy all the way! WTF were you thinking?-trying to get your money's worth! That's what's wrong with people like you who are mistreated!--they just don't understand they need further beating-up. Geez, I can't believe this.

You don't get it do you! You should be beat up so bad that you can't even think! Emotionally destroyed til you can't think straight! Then you will have gotten what you came to school for-the real reason-Didn't you know school has nothing to do with gaining competency with your choice of major? It has to do with getting screwed!"

Ok, now that those against you have been exposed, They should just call it "screwel" !

You can still win though.

 

[Oaky]

Let's take the jackass devil's advocate side of this which almost everyone else has opted for. Emotional idiocy.

"You jackass! How could you possibly disagree with this professor crapping on you!! I mean, don't you understand that you pay him, and he gets to rip you a new one! Just put up with it. He rules. You don't! Commy all the way! WTF were you thinking?-trying to get your money's worth! That's what's wrong with people like you who are mistreated!--they just don't understand they need further beating-up. Geez, I can't believe this.

You don't get it do you! You should be beat up so bad that you can't even think! Emotionally destroyed til you can't think straight! Then you will have gotten what you came to school for-the real reason-Didn't you know school has nothing to do with gaining competency with your choice of major? It has to do with getting screwed!"

Jackasses.

Ok, now that those against you have been exposed, They should just call it "screwel" !

You can still win though.

Hahaha! Very very clever. That's pretty much it isn't it.

 

[Winds of Thor]

@poppy: I wish you could see him. (how many times did I say that in this thread?)

You are very deep in your understandings of people. I like how you look outside the box. You and BlackCat are quite exceptional at understanding people.

I would say Blackcat is perhaps a master of that. I've read some of his insights in the past. He's cuttingly smart yet polite.

 

[Winds of Thor]

That's pretty much it isn't it.

Yes

 

[Oaky]

I would say Blackcat is perhaps a master of that. I've read some of his insights in the past. He's cuttingly smart yet polite.

Very

 

[Cimarron]

The way you present him as "not normal"...Do you mean he may have legitimate mental illness? Probably more like "personality disorder," along the lines of Borderline, Narcissist, etc.

 

[BlackCat]

I see your point. My antenna are feet-long for crap like this that happens way too much in academia where it's the most political of all places one could work.

Academia-a place where right is wrong and wrong is 'right'-Shows how political it is for receiving a good education for your dollars to prevail. Terrible.

This is all believed combining intuition considering what you described.

You wouldn't have the motivation to make up all this. I mean, it's pointless. Typing details like this on a typology website if it weren't real? Experiencing the slurry of unwanted emotions that this has caused you in getting ripped-off from a bad professor! What would you get out of it? Nothing.

I made dinner and did some stuff, so I didn't see this post.

This is EXACTLY why people shouldn't nit pick at you for this. I totally agree with your points Avatar. These intuitives call themselves intuitive, yet they can't figure out the details on their own considering the situation?

You and BlackCat are quite exceptional at understanding people.

I would say Blackcat is perhaps a master of that. I've read some of his insights in the past. He's cuttingly smart yet polite.

Very

Aw, thanks. That made me happy. I would ask what insights you were referencing, but I must remember I'm dealing with an ENTP.

 

[Usehername]

This is EXACTLY why people shouldn't nit pick at you for this. I totally agree with your points Avatar. These intuitives call themselves intuitive, yet they can't figure out the details on their own considering the situation?

The details:

• OP violated social norms of respecting others' time when asking for advice on a forum by failing to provide enough context with which to respond to their OP
• OP failed to realize that they failed to do this, and in fact contested the objective of this norm several times when called on it
• OP failed to realize after dozens of posts that people were taking his "humour" seriously, and failed to communicate effectively that he was exaggerating for us strangers
• OP attacked character of another person (legitimate action in and of itself)
• OP failed to support said stance with reasons to support his opinion for several dozen posts

If an individual is gathering a few facts about the OP, it is that they are either oblivious to or rebellious of social norms. Someone oblivious to or rebellious of social norms is going to either unknowingly or knowingly annoy individuals who value social norms. Like, a professor who just spent 25 years earning his title.

These actions call into question the OP's ability to accurately perceive situations. If one begins with the belief that an individual has issues with accurately narrating reality, it is logical that the same individual's narration of reality in another instance is flawed.

There's more reason to question why you had faith in the OP than why others lacked faith in the OP.

 

[Laurie]

I'm sorry but I wasn't aware that someone who is extremely bad at doing his job shouldn't be fired. He has a professorship. He should know how to do his job.

Assuming that teaching you classes is his "main" job is your first error and shows that you don't really know much about how college works. This is one reason I (and many others) can't take your posts seriously. The way a University makes a name isn't just by how well the professors teach.

He teaches me:

- Landscape Design
- Interior Design
- Architectural Design (5th one)

The three most important subjects of my semester. If I mess up in the first two, I've got little chance to become an interior designer or landscape architect. Now the thing is there are two classes for these subjects. Each have a different teacher. University rules state I'm not allowed to attend any other than my own.

What he is wrong about is dealing with the students in a most arrogant fashion. He will never accept ideas from them. The marks he gives aren't fair at all. A girl cried a few days back because of the mark he gave her. The thing is is that she is brilliant. The top student of the class. The teacher's reply was "she didn't do exactly as I asked" which is of course a load of bull as these subjects are all based on creativity. Also the teacher, when we talk to him likes saying the statement "It's not my problem" when he has the power to change things. There are so many more things I could put down that he does that crosses certain lines of being an at least passable professor.

Thanks for the encouragement. I will keep trying so I can end that cycle.

You mean a passable teacher, not professor. Please look into what this means. Some of the best professors really SUCK at teaching.

I am not familiar with these subjects, perhaps I'm incorrect, but I would imagine you would want someone who is doing architectural design to be able to follow your instructions. You will not be out in the workforce just "being creative."

The average mark for a student is 7/10 in any subject with any teacher. Not this one. This guy never gave over a 6/10. The top students of the class were really annoyed that their grades were between 3-6/10. Absolutely nothing above a 6.

First of all, no one at your university really cares if you aren't getting the grades you want. Second of all, if all the grades are in that range I smell a curve coming on. Have you asked if there is a curve?

First-time teachers, especially University professors, can be a weird breed - and understand that it's at least possible that he doesn't *want* to be teaching (as opposed to doing research, publishing, etc.). It's entirely possible that he was forced into teaching and would like nothing better than to dump the teaching off on someone else (I've seen this happen before). On a less pessimistic note, new University professors, unlike high school teachers, generally don't have much experience or knowledge about *how to actually teach*. He's spent his time learning and practicing his area of expertise - not how to teach you.

This is the truth.

You need to spend your time doing things that can help your grade, help him transition, help you get a curve. Not spend your time trying to get him fired. You are putting your eggs in the wrong basket.

 

[Geoff]

Right. Creative architecture has first of all to be based on a design brief. Unless you want the whole house of bricks to come tumbling down.

Creativity, in most subjects.. but architecture most of all.. one must first know what the rules are, before one can break them.

 

[Usehername]

Assuming that teaching you classes is his "main" job is your first error and shows that you don't really know much about how college works. This is one reason I (and many others) can't take your posts seriously.

Good point--now that you mention it this was the a major flag for me as well, though I forgot about it because it seemed there were enough other reasons to lack faith in the OP's perception of reality.

 

[CzeCze]

Hee, interesting turn the thread has taken. I've had bad and boring profs before (no crime and quite common even at well regarded institutions) but the only time I ever complained officially about a professor was when she misused her position in class to bully me. Morever, she was misusing her position of authority in the realm of ideas. Bah, I can't write right now.

Everything else is par for the course but as a professor or really a "citizizen at a university" I firmly believe in the free flow of ideas and respecting the forum of learning. As a professor you can state the universe and the rules but there are certain professional and ethical codes of conduct you have to follow.

It's a long story but what I did was outline exactly what happened and emailed the head of the department as well as my dean and the dean of the students. My aim was not to get her fired, it was to have the situation addressed because she had elevated it to a disciplinary matter IMHO.

Unless your professor does something you feel is unethical or unprofessional or otherwise 'breaks the rules' of your school, there isn't much you can do other than complain about them and give them bad reviews on that end of semester review most schools give. Or on 'Rate My Professor' .com (?) Especially in terms of disagreeing with them intellectually - not much that can be done about that.

You can try to improve the situation if it's warranted by talking to your class dean, the head dean, the head of the department, or possibly the school's ombudsperson. It also depends on how big or small the school is. If nothing else, getting an outside party involved will elevate the situation and your professor will listen to you.

I think a discussion with your prof may be the most helpful (and realistic) goal for your right now if you really want to push this. I'm not sure you will get what you think you want right now, but you'll be glad for it later.

PS I know you don't want to hear it - but it takes a lot of time and effort to get a PhD and it's very difficult to get a position at a university at any tier, and it's not nearly as well paid or glamorous as it may seem - you might feel some empathy for your prof later when you are no longer his student and more importantly some perspective into his actions and motivations. Even the prof I had issues with, I still think she was in the wrong but I understand better why she operated as she did as a professor.

 

[Winds of Thor]

The details:

• OP violated social norms of respecting others' time when asking for advice on a forum by failing to provide enough context with which to respond to their OP
• OP failed to realize that they failed to do this, and in fact contested the objective of this norm several times when called on it
• OP failed to realize after dozens of posts that people were taking his "humour" seriously, and failed to communicate effectively that he was exaggerating for us strangers
• OP attacked character of another person (legitimate action in and of itself)
• OP failed to support said stance with reasons to support his opinion for several dozen posts

If an individual is gathering a few facts about the OP, it is that they are either oblivious to or rebellious of social norms. Someone oblivious to or rebellious of social norms is going to either unknowingly or knowingly annoy individuals who value social norms. Like, a professor who just spent 25 years earning his title.

These actions call into question the OP's ability to accurately perceive situations. If one begins with the belief that an individual has issues with accurately narrating reality, it is logical that the same individual's narration of reality in another instance is flawed.

There's more reason to question why you had faith in the OP than why others lacked faith in the OP.

It's this simple.

What happened is, and what I hear as the greater concern here, is the value of education being received. That an honorable product worth merit does not receive credit because the levels of expectation seem to be fixed-FIXED at 60% or lower which also takes the form of a grade.

That an honorable product of learning ought to be given a grade commensurate with its merit. Classwork is evaluated with typically grades ranging from 'F' to 'A' although some given as Pass/Fail in some classes.

The potential of grades is typically based on gradations of merit, sometimes standardized by teachers. Although teachers are given a liberal amount of freedom in determining gradation structure, nonetheless, schools require these to be provided to students at the beginning of semesters.

All this other stuff you write attempts to steer the focus onto OP, which is not that big of a deal.

Also known as 'trolling'.

*Note: You have every right to expect a school to provide to you what you are getting there for your hard-earned dollars, including furnishing you with information of how grades will be evaluated per class.

And that's just it.

I'm bored.

 

[Uytuun]

You can consider it training to interact with employers who wield power over your paycheck, not just a grade.

These kind of condescending comments en-fucking-rage me. He's treated unfairly it offends his idealistic ideas about justice and he's actually willing to do something about it. Now I don't approve of his methods or even his pay-back ideas, but I refuse to subscribe to the idea that you should just put your head in the sand and roll over. If an employer treats me in a grossly unfair way persistently, I'm outta there after having spoken my mind. I've confronted "superiors" before and I will continue to do so.

I too was in a situation where a first-time lecturer screwed me over, not grading according to his handouts etc. etc. he ended up giving me the same weak argument: stuff in the "world out there" isn't fair either. If it's all about the real world and sucking it up and cooperating with other (weaker) people then adjust the way you grade, and don't focus exclusively on the academic stuff. IFJ I think...Fe user in some form, introverted. Horrible at teaching - which I can understand and which is why I cooperated a lot. He also put very little effort into it all, however. The format of the class was very poorly made. I e-mailed him about my grades and gave him a well thought-out negative evaluation (before I knew my grade). He did not teach the course the year after that.

It's very easy to be all casually jaded about it. A lot of people seem to be. That kind of apathy makes me sad. It's not wrong to care and be actively committed to improvement.

 

[Usehername]

All this other stuff you write attempts to steer the focus onto OP, which is not that big of a deal.

Also known as 'trolling'.

Actually, it is a big deal.

The issue the OP brings up cannot be properly addressed if the OP won't address the issues. There were direct requests for further clarification, and the OP danced around it. The medium of forum interaction is not conducive to following around an OP who refuses to answer requests for further clarification.

If there is a genuine problem, the OP is hindering our ability to help him with it. He needs to learn the value of adapting to the medium and establishing his ethos where most people have no idea who he is.

The only reason I was coming on so strongly is because if you read above, I already said this, and he mocked me when I told him he needed to establish his ethos, which was only stated to help him narrate his story more effectively. He's digging his own grave, which may also be happening with this professor. I make no judgment about the professor because I don't know anything about him, though he probably has lots of issues just like any other human. But the OP is probably annoying the professor if he's bucking social norms IRL just like he is on the forum, which is only bad for the OP.

 

[Winds of Thor]

Actually, it is a big deal.

The issue the OP brings up cannot be properly addressed if the OP won't address the issues. There were direct requests for further clarification, and the OP danced around it. The medium of forum interaction is not conducive to following around an OP who refuses to answer requests for further clarification.

If there is a genuine problem, the OP is hindering our ability to help him with it. He needs to learn the value of adapting to the medium and establishing his ethos where most people have no idea who he is.

The only reason I was coming on so strongly is because if you read above, I already said this, and he mocked me when I told him he needed to establish his ethos, which was only stated to help him narrate his story more effectively. He's digging his own grave, which may also be happening with this professor. I make no judgment about the professor because I don't know anything about him, though he probably has lots of issues just like any other human. But the OP is probably annoying the professor if he's bucking social norms IRL just like he is on the forum, which is only bad for the OP.

I think he's just trying to motivate others to help him change his unfortunate circumstances. Feeling frustrated and down because one constant that's true is change. The change he has received is a raw deal. 60% and lower is what he is saying is the grade everyone has learned they can expect in that class.

Change, people don't handle well. They don't like it.

Change causes conflict. Conflict, in and of itself, is not all that bad. You like conflict because it motivates people to solve problems.

However, if you let conflict go too long without addressing it, it causes stress. Stress is what has happened here. He just needs to have some answers and if I were him and a professor were making it personal, I would feel less able to formulate my own solutions because of feeling so flustered-thinking doesn't happen as clearly when 'hot' esp. paying for a class and receiving no known grading structure to plant my feet and establish a base of understanding so I could find a way with my talents and gifts to best perform in that class.

So stress is what's causing this inefficiency and he knows this so he's looking outside for answers, I believe.

So, focus needs to not be how we avoid conflict but how to get people to intercede and stop stress from occuring.

We don't need stressed-out friends and people. We need uncomfortable friends. We need conflicted friends who are solving problems. That's what will make us better.

At the end of the day, we just have to ourperform ourselves a little better.

That will keep us happy. We just gotta keep going.