I have one instructor who is simply amazing, but that is beside the point. Since teaching is an actual job, like all jobs she is required to be evaluated and my class was the lucky pick.

If you haven’t done one of these evaluations before it’s simply where another instructor comes into your class for the first fifteen minutes and has you fill out a Scantron rating the instructor of your course. Well our guest instructor, who’s name I will not mention, asked if we could please also leave at least two comments to just help make the evaluation more effective.

As most of us do, I filled out the evaluation and left more than two comments, just because I wanted everyone aware of how amazing this teacher is and how effective her methods of teaching are.

Out of all the students in the class there was one individual who hadn’t filled out the two comments on the evaluation.  The student brought the evaluation up to the instructor and the instructor proceeded to look over the evaluation and noticed that the student had failed to leave any comments. The instructor asked the student why he didn’t leave any comments like he was asked to, and asked whether or not the student had an opinion.

The student replied, “I have no opinion.” The instructor in turn replied with a slight smirk and “That’s pathetic.”

Moments passed in silence as the rest of the class filled out their evaluations. Finally the instructor asked the student something like, “Do you have an opinion about anything?” By this point most of the class was aware of the tension rising in the room. The student replied back to the instructor, “You’re a dick, I have an opinion about that.”

The student in front of me dropped his pencil in shock. Many of the other students made giggles and other noises of that kind. I was completely astonished; I couldn’t believe that a student, an adult man student, actually called the instructor a dick.

The class finished up the evaluations and handed them all in and then the instructor thanked us for our time and left the classroom. After the instructor left the classroom, the class broke out in laughter and comments. Many of the fellow students were congratulating the individual for calling the instructor a dick. The student involved in the exchanging of words even made comments about choking the teacher and making other threats to his existence.

I was so uncomfortable, was I really the only person in the class who felt like this was incredibly wrong? Not to mention this student has an opinion about everything, it was pathetic that he couldn’t leave a few words. I spent the entire class with thoughts like this running through my mind. I finally just allowed myself to settle with believing that this individual must just be embarrassed abut his opinion, since every time he opens his mouth nonsense seems to escape.

Many of these instructors are parents, work several jobs commute and even stay up most of the night making lesson plans. They shouldn’t have to deal with disrespectful individuals; those are the kinds of students who don’t deserve to be in the class. There are plenty of respectful students who would have loved to be in the class instead.

I feel like when we all come to college we should know right from wrong. We shouldn’t need to be threatened with the thought of punishment in order to act right.

 I’ve concluded that there is no real way to solve this issue, other than the students just acting appropriately.

So I think maybe LMC should consider a new book requirement for students prior to attending. Something along the lines of “Respecting Instructors, For Dummies”, that should do it.