Posts Tagged "difficult subjects"

Does Your Prof Care More than You Do? Will Your Boss?

Posted by on Mar 26, 2013 in Communicating with Professors, General, Interpersonal Communication | 48 comments

(No major intro on this one. Student questions will be back soon. In the meantime, here is what I’m thinking about right now…) In my Interpersonal Communication course, my students submit a question-prompted journal fairly early in the term. The first question? “Analyze your communication strengths and weaknesses, based on communication competencies in the textbook.” If other questions go awry, (they usually don’t–interpersonal communication may be hard as hell in real life, but it isn’t rocket science), I can typically count on students answering this one question. Until now. Student’s journal literally had a polar bear in...

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Did Your Last Text Deserve a Talk?

Posted by on Sep 24, 2012 in General, Interpersonal Communication | 5 comments

(A momentary break from college success… I haven’t written about general interpersonal communication in a while. Well, I’m about to teach two sections starting today, so how timely, right? I’ll try to tame myself with my topic. I think I’ve made my feelings about texting known in the past. If you have a strong counter-argument, I sure welcome your point of view. Ready to start the conversation? I am!) Some of the most uncomfortable conflicts I’ve been in over recent months involved texting. Every time a miscommunication occurs via this medium, I spiritedly say, “I’m done! No more texting for me!” But then I realize...

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What You Can Learn From My Advice to the Student Petitioning the ‘Grade Tank’

Posted by on Jul 30, 2012 in Communicating with Professors, General | 6 comments

(Not my usual blogging day, but if you saw last Friday’s post, you already know that the student whose grade tanked is going to petition. Just coming into this unexpected series? Start here and continue here and here. I’m continuing this discussion through one more post because I believe other students could face a similar issue and the add-on advice (that I provided via e-mail) is important to share. What I told the student is universal, not only when challenging a grade, but if you ever have to stand up for yourself. I have had to take this advice, myself. Read on…) Okay, before I get to it, two quick things… First, I promise to update everyone...

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Student Question: The Prof Changed the Grade Structure After Class Ended–My Grade Tanked!

Posted by on Jul 12, 2012 in Communicating with Professors, General | 7 comments

A troubling question just came in and I am hoping that my colleagues in higher ed will respond with your thoughts. Here goes… First, the question: “My professor changed the syllabus after the class was over. He said the lab was worth 300 out of 850 in the syllabus, then after the class was over he changed the lab to 170 out of 720 because the average lab score was a 96% and he wanted to lower grades. This dropped me from a C to a D+ and now I’m not passing and will have to re-take the course. Also, right after the exams he told the class that he was adding 5 points to test 1 and a few points to test 2 because scores were low and then after the...

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Will You Become “Unbroken” With Me?

Posted by on Jun 26, 2012 in General, General College Success/Responses to Other College Entities | 8 comments

(Small diversion from my usual, but my usual will be back. Between now and into fall and 2013, I’m going to commence an intermittent series of posts dedicated to students—anyone—who is having to redo, retool, or just plain start again. Read on and I’ll explain…) My goal was to get in and out as quickly as I could. I didn’t have the strength for conversation. I couldn’t make eye contact. Given how much I love people, talking with them, experiencing them, my momentary shielding of self would have been a clue that something was not right with me right now. I filled out my waiver and sure enough, a chirpy woman began friendly banter. “You doing the half or...

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