Rude and dangerous

[stanthedevil]

The college I attend has housing on campus, but many of the students are either older adults or traditional age students who commute (approximately 75%).  Starting early yesterday afternoon snow started to fall and in the course of an hour we accumulated almost 2 inches.  Everyone in my afternoon class was waiting for them to cancel the evening classes because the weather was not getting any better.  By 6:30 when evening classes started, we had over six inches of snow and no signs of letting up any time soon.

The class that I take involves tutoring middleschool students for the first two hours of class.  Because of the weather only a few students arrived.  All afternoon parents had been calling and saying that their students would not be attending.  By the time class started there were only three students who either hadn't called and cancelled or already arrived.  However, rather than telling parents as they arrived that because of the weather we would be cancelling class, the instructor decided to hold class.  With only a handful of students present, 34 of us had nothing to do.  We were not allowed to leave.  We had to stay until 8:30pm regardless of whether our student had arrived because it would not be "fair".

Because we're a mostly commuting campus, we have students who drive as much as two hours each way to attend classes (on a clear day).  One girl in particular lives almost an hour and a half north where the snow was falling much harder and faster.  After we had dispersed throughout the building (we didn't to do anything, we just could not leave the building), she was practically in tears because she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to make it home.  I told her to go up to the instructor now that everyone was out of the classroom and just quietly explain the situation.  The girl went into the classroom and the next thing I hear is, "No!  You cannot leave early...it would...not...be...FAIR!!  This is you JOB.  If this were a real JOB you COULD NOT just leave and go home because of a little snow!"  The girl comes out in tears, but stays for the rest of class.

(A note of explanation, the class only meets six times, so if you missed one class session you can't pass the class.  You would automatically get a C+ and you have to have a B or better for it to count.)

Then after we finished tutoring (or wasting time for those without students) we have our wrap up meeting for the night (their way of making sure no one left early).  In the middle of announcements, the instructor's cell phone rings.  She says, "I'll get it."  and proceeds to answer her phone and leave the room for almost five minutes.  We all just sat there aghast.  She then came back in and completed the announcements.  Her parting shot for the night was this: "Your final paper is due next week.  It must be perfect.  If it's not perfect, you are not leaving the building until it is.  E-mail yourself a copy, don't just think that you're perfect.  I don't understand why you people can't proofread each other's work before turning it in.  Remember, if it's not perfect you can't leave.  And if you can't leave, I can't leave.  If I don't get out of here before 9:30, I'll be upset.  If I don't get to leave before 10:00, I'll be downright cranky."

All during this last announcement her voice is getting louder and louder until she is practically shouting at us.  Sorry for the length, but I just couldn't believe not only how rude and unprofessional the instructors were, but also their disregard for everyone's safety.

[stanthedevil]

The woman who actually teaches the twelve week class (separate from these last six weeks) has an evaluation form for us to fill out and mail back after the end of next week.  I plan on putting the information in the eval so that she knows about it and can take it into consideration for next year.

[HogwartsAlum]

The woman who actually teaches the twelve week class (separate from these last six weeks) has an evaluation form for us to fill out and mail back after the end of next week.  I plan on putting the information in the eval so that she knows about it and can take it into consideration for next year.

Oh absolutely do put something in the evaluation.  That was unbelievable.  Even if she couldn't let people go early because of a school policy or somesuch, to behave that way was uncalled for.

What a twit.

[andi]

Jobs do let you leave if the weather is turning particularly ugly - even if they do it while making you feel guilty or making you use personal time (like my old job) i would definately put this on the evaluation and for the young woman she yelled at - i do not think it out of line to file a complaint.

[Lisbeth]

I'd report this instructor to the school administration for that little speech.  It was incredibly rude and unprofessional.

In the evaluations, I'd mention that her determination that the class had to be held during seriously inclement weather jeopardized the safety of the students.

[mumofonly1]

Oh my goodness. That's beyond rude, that put that poor classmate of yours in danger by not allowing her to safely head home! I was in a somewhat similar situation. I lived almost an hour from my university and had to commute to get there and it was snowing dangerously close enough to my home, and barely snowing near the school. I called my professor at the time and informed him that I would not be in class due to the weather, and he gave me a hard time because the weather was not bad near the school. I politely informed him that I did not live near the school and that the weather was dangerous where I did live and I would just not be able to get there safely. Thankfully he didn't try to make me attend class, otherwise I would have been in trouble.

I agree with another poster that you should most definitely mention something like this in the evaluation. And I would even notify the Dean or someone in authority because this is rediculous behaviour. I've had paying jobs close and send us home when the weather got nasty.

[ButterflieRJ]

I have had jobs that allowed us to leave early because of snow, especially if it is the first major falling of the season. Your prof.s behaviour, especially at the end of the class was unproffesional, and rude. Is there someone you could report her to, or at least make sure they know about her not allowing the student who lived up north to leave?

Wow, I was going to say, more or less, the EXACT same thing!  So, PODDY McPODDINGTON!!

[ZipTheWonder]

She honestly sounds more than a little unstable.......

[NOVA Lady]

I have to agree every job I've had, my undergrad school (where I commuted 7 miles... but in DC traffic=1 hour) and law school (10 miles, same traffic) and when it snows a ton, I stay home. And when it starts snowing and it snowing hard and not stopping tons of people leave work/cancel classes in order to make it home safely.

IMO classes can be made up, work can be done at home etc but safety and being able to arrive to work/home is more important.

It doesn't sound like this class was productive in anyway. And to make the students wait while the proffesor answers the phone? Ick!

[stanthedevil]

I have to agree every job I've had, my undergrad school (where I commuted 7 miles... but in DC traffic=1 hour) and law school (10 miles, same traffic) and when it snows a ton, I stay home. And when it starts snowing and it snowing hard and not stopping tons of people leave work/cancel classes in order to make it home safely.

IMO classes can be made up, work can be done at home etc but safety and being able to arrive to work/home is more important.

It doesn't sound like this class was productive in anyway. And to make the students wait while the proffesor answers the phone? Ick!

The worst part about the fact that the administration ignores that we are a commuter campus is that on Friday when it snowed quite hard and every school in the city was cancelled (except us), most of the professors called in a cancelled their classes.  So them when the students who did drive in (because campus wasn't closed) arrived only to find their classes cancelled.

The class on Monday night was not productive.  Luckily I had my laptop so I could do work.  Also, we were in the same building as the library, so people could go and log onto the network if they so chose.

[jfulle5]

ridiculious. She can not keep you. At the university I go to we have classes that only meet 6 times and you can miss one class. If it's not written into the syllabus then see the dean.

[MsEva]

Jobs do let you leave if the weather is turning particularly ugly - even if they do it while making you feel guilty or making you use personal time (like my old job).

Not every job. My last workplace never shut down or let people go home early. As a matter of fact, the first year I was there our area was hit with rainstorms and massive flash flooding. Our location was flooded with some parts under six feet of water. They moved most of the operations to a hotel and had the answering service reroute the calls. It took me three hours to get to the hotel which was normally twenty minutes away. After I became a manager I would plead with the veep to let my staff leave early if heavy snow was falling. I always offered to stay myself and make sure everything was taken care of. My requests were always denied.

[stanthedevil]

ridiculious. She can not keep you. At the university I go to we have classes that only meet 6 times and you can miss one class. If it's not written into the syllabus then see the dean.

Oh, it's very clearly written into the syllabus that you are not allowed to miss a class.  If you skip class you automatically fail the class.  If there are extenuating circumstances, you are given a C+ which means that you don't fail, but you must take the class over since you need a B or better for the School of Education to accept it (if you fail one of the core Education classes, you are kicked out of the School of Ed).

[stanthedevil]

I'd report this instructor to the school administration for that little speech.  It was incredibly rude and unprofessional.

In the evaluations, I'd mention that her determination that the class had to be held during seriously inclement weather jeopardized the safety of the students.

The two women who instruct the class are both teachers, one elementary and one high school.  While the one was spouting off, all I could think was, "I'm glad she isn't my regular teacher."

[rolld20]

Sounds to me like the instructor was power-tripping, and possibly felt that if *she* was stuck staying there that evening, then everyone else was too, by g*d! 

It's sad when people forget to be, like, human.