Communicating with Professors
When Rude E-mail Responses Shut You Down, Say This to Get Back to Work
(I’m checking on the student who missed three weeks of class to see if they met with the professor. I’ll update as soon as I know, but I hope there is a favorable outcome. Here is a recent write-in that I’m also escalating because as the term closes in on all of us, e-mails between student and professor become more abundant. It’s easy for curtness to become the norm… even when that may not be the intent. Here we go…) Ellen, I am taking a class where I don’t feel like I e-mail the instructor much at all. I don’t want to overreact, but I am very upset by the responses I’m receiving. I’m trying to be congenial in...
Read MoreStudents, If You Are Facing This Situation, Run and See Your Professor NOW!
(I hit a grading wall and there went my blogging rhythm this week! Quick news that made me feel very honored: Say This, NOT That received its first peer-reviewed journal nod from The National Academic Advising Association: “…should be required reading for first year seminars and campus orientation classes.” Yay!!!!! Here is the full review and if your campus would like an exam copy, message me at chattyprof@gmail.com and I’ll send word to my publisher. Now, on to today’s post: The NACADA review discusses the increasing disconnect between students and campus professionals. Well, a student wrote to me with a huge disconnect, albeit...
Read More“Some Professors Suck at Teaching!”: A Parent and Student Voice Concerns
(We’re back to college success! There are some frustrated folks out there. As a recent guest on Women’s Talk Radio, bunches of students called in about negative experiences with profs–and it was only the first week of school! Here are two comments I recently received. When I read them, I had two thoughts: a) We don’t always help as much we should; and b) Some of us suck sometimes. All faculty were students and we experienced great and not-so-great profs. I hardly have all the answers, but I’m willing to share what I know and open up the conversation. I also admit that after a year of being on leave, I feel like I suck a little, myself, this...
Read MoreThis Prof Was Told “You Should Be On-Call 24-7.” Are Faculty the New Urgent Care?
**Update 10/4: Due to the incredible conversation thus far on Twitter, I’ve created a Storify (my first one!) to capture the wonderful responses! Check them out–you’ll find the varied perspectives on this topic fascinating! Also, thanks to HigherEdJobs.com for sharing this post on their Facebook page! Critical conversation we’re having!!! (Today’s post is driven by a collegial conversation in the faculty-verse. As usual, all identifying details have been altered. E-mail has changed the nature of the professor’s job, but should it change our jobs this much? What do you think? One more thing: I’m going to be at the Barnes and...
Read MoreFlo-Rida Gets Millions for Doing This. You’ll Get F’s (Or Worse)
(I’m back already! I guess I was more on the ball than I thought. Don’t you love it when that happens? Ready to talk about the subject all faculty looooove? Flo-Rida, of course! Let’s do it…) My fabulous readers, I can’t wait to see students again, but there is one part of my job that feels a little daunting when I think about coming back to it (And, no, it isn’t the fact that my building only has one single toilet for a whole bunch of women, though that does get a little dicey sometimes): Speech outlines will come in for grading. One or two, maybe three, will sound just a little too good. The body won’t match the introduction in...
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In Say This, NOT That to Your Professor: 36 Talking Tips for College Success, an award-winning, tenured communication professor takes you “inside the faculty mind...Click here to Buy on Amazon
A tenured professor of Communication Studies helps students correctly--not cluelessly--speak/deal with those who teach them.
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