What do you think? Complaint letter time?

Superman · Post by **Superman** » 2006-02-11 01:47am

I am not yet sure if I am going to send this to the administration, but let me fill you in by what actually happened in my Stat class using the letter I might or might not send.

Hello,
I thought you should know about a couple of things that happened during my Statistics class today at 9 am with Prof.*** ***. I think he's a pretty nice guy and a good teacher, but I think today he got into a little bit of an inappropriate, and sort of weird, area.

At the beginning of the class, he started talking about how the water we drink is contaminated with a certain compound, and that it's unsafe to drink. He then went on to explain that nobody hears about it because of a massive cover up from the media, government and scientists. He even pointed a student out who was drinking from a water bottle and quoted the contamination substance ratio. Just a little strange and conspiratorial so far...

He then started to talk about how this factors into the fact that human beings are living shorter lives than ever before (a Stats teacher!), and how it's because of that bad water. Water, he explained, is vital for life and our water is responsible for how long we live. He then explained that at one time, people were living to ages of 300 to 400 years. The water must be the reason why we are not living to these ages anymore!

A few students became pretty concerned, and asked what to do. One student said something about how the Bible says people used to live that long, and of course he agreed. I think he started to realize where this was going, so then finally started to teach the class. That conversation was probably 5 to 10 minutes.

Perhaps I am not familiar with the studies from which he was getting his information, but I don't think causing sort of conspiratorial paranoia, from a teacher, is the best thing for him to be doing. I also don't think that his getting into religious subjects is very appropriate. Many students, who have little to no background in science, may interpret his citation as being true, and that maybe what he said is the position of the scientific community.

Mr. **** seems like a pretty great teacher and a good guy. I just thought you might want to know about some of the strange things he said today.

Yay or nay?

Stark · Post by **Stark** » 2006-02-11 02:02am

Did he claim it was a communist plot to pollute or precious bodily fluids?

Count Dooku · Post by **Count Dooku** » 2006-02-11 02:09am

The guy sounds like a nut - and his facts are pretty damned far from the truth.

The Silence and I · Post by **The Silence and I** » 2006-02-11 03:40am

Is he likely to get in trouble if you send it? If not then I don't see any reason not too. If he may find himself in some kind of trouble, then I would be less likely to do anything. He sounds harmless, and this certainly does not seem to me like something worth damaging his career over. But you know the situation infinately better than I, I can only give my 2 cents.

Luke Starkiller · Post by **Luke Starkiller** » 2006-02-11 09:15am

If it's an isolated event I'd hold off, but if he keeps bringing it up I'd send that in.

Embracer Of Darkness · Post by **Embracer Of Darkness** » 2006-02-11 09:21am

Might I suggest discussing this with him in private, before reporting him? Doing so may cause him to realise that what he said was inappropriate for that lecture, and he may think twice about going off on tangents like that in the future.

If he's stubborn about it and "admits" to knowing full-well what he was doing, but shows no concern about it, send the letter. If not, just wait and see if he does anything like it again before sending the letter, because as somebody else mentioned this could have consequences for his career.

Batman · Post by **Batman** » 2006-02-11 09:54am

If the teacher does stuff like that on a regular basis it should have consequences for his career. If it's an isolated event I'd let it go.
Either way, he's nuts.

Metatwaddle · Post by **Metatwaddle** » 2006-02-11 10:05am

Stark wrote:Did he claim it was a communist plot to pollute or precious bodily fluids?

Dr. Strangelove FTW!

When I watched that movie in history class a couple of years ago, my history teacher told us about his mother-in-law, who actually believed that conspiracy stuff about fluorine in the water. When she wrote her check for water each month, she made the check out to the "Wilmington Poison Company".

They accepted it. I think she saw that as further proof of her theory.

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2006-02-11 11:12am

You could make a lot of shit for yourself going over his head right away over what may well be an isolated incident. Speak with him directly if it bothered you. Professors don't appreciate it when students complain to their bosses, especially about the content of a lecture (rather than, say, a grading controversy) and the odds are, the administration is going to take his side anyway if you don't handle it properly.

Superman · Post by **Superman** » 2006-02-11 11:44am

RedImperator wrote:You could make a lot of shit for yourself going over his head right away over what may well be an isolated incident. Speak with him directly if it bothered you. Professors don't appreciate it when students complain to their bosses, especially about the content of a lecture (rather than, say, a grading controversy) and the odds are, the administration is going to take his side anyway if you don't handle it properly.

The policy is that the identities of complaining students are not disclosed.

It might be that this is just some strange isolated incident. I don't know, but since he IS a teacher, he should really know better.

Keevan_Colton · Post by **Keevan_Colton** » 2006-02-11 12:00pm

RedImperator wrote:You could make a lot of shit for yourself going over his head right away over what may well be an isolated incident. Speak with him directly if it bothered you. Professors don't appreciate it when students complain to their bosses, especially about the content of a lecture (rather than, say, a grading controversy) and the odds are, the administration is going to take his side anyway if you don't handle it properly.

The whole way this shit is handled over here has me in shock. It's like those fucking films set in the deep south in Bumblefuck Alabama or something where the Sheriff and the Judge are brothers, so there's no appeal if the Sheriff fucks you over...

Right now I'm still trying to sort out one lecturer who "lost" my tests from last semester after I complained about the shit she was talking.

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2006-02-11 12:39pm

Superman wrote:
RedImperator wrote:You could make a lot of shit for yourself going over his head right away over what may well be an isolated incident. Speak with him directly if it bothered you. Professors don't appreciate it when students complain to their bosses, especially about the content of a lecture (rather than, say, a grading controversy) and the odds are, the administration is going to take his side anyway if you don't handle it properly.
The policy is that the identities of complaining students are not disclosed.

There are lots of policies. Besides, depending on the class size and your behavior in it, he could probably figure it out. If one of my students complained to my boss about me, I'd have a very good shot at guessing who it is based on the nature and timing of the complaint.

It might be that this is just some strange isolated incident. I don't know, but since he IS a teacher, he should really know better.

That may be true, but to be honest, I don't know what you expect to accomplish by going to the administration about it. What he says in a lecture is an academic freedom issue, and if he's not sexually harassing students or flinging racial slurs around, the administration is not going to make any kind of move against him. It would be a different issue if he was wrong about his subject matter (confusing upper-case sigma with lower-case sigma, for example), which would be a competency issue, but this isn't what's happening. Your best bet for getting results is actually speaking to the professor, since you have a better chance of convincing him to modify his behavior than convincing the administration to make him do it.

Keevan_Colton · Post by **Keevan_Colton** » 2006-02-11 07:10pm

There seems to be a lot of protection for being a fucking moron in the teaching profession on this continent...and very little check upon teachers from what I can find.

RedImperator · Post by **RedImperator** » 2006-02-11 07:45pm

Keevan_Colton wrote:There seems to be a lot of protection for being a fucking moron in the teaching profession on this continent...and very little check upon teachers from what I can find.

Spend a week working in a public high school and tell me there are no checks on teachers. The reason teachers at both the high school and college level are willing to fight so hard to be able to close the doors and conduct class as they wish is because they have no fucking control whatsoever anywhere else. And frankly, if you saw the caliber of administrator running the show in a lot of places, you'd probably conclude letting the teachers do their own thing is the best of the available options (you're welcome to read my core curriculum to get an idea of what teaching would be like if the administrators controlled it).

Keevan_Colton · Post by **Keevan_Colton** » 2006-02-11 07:55pm

Oh, I'm not taking the side of the management, i think they're just as shit...but there is no real check on useless fuckwits in education here and that is serious problem. Without a check, shit doesnt get fixed. At best doesnt get worse, though that is in itself debatable.

CarsonPalmer · Post by **CarsonPalmer** » 2006-02-11 08:02pm

Keevan, but what if the check only make things worse? That is in many cases exactly what happens. No check is better than a check that damages what is being done. No one is disputing that a check that is fair and impartial and improves things would not work.

By the way, there have been a lot of school and education threads lately. I wonder why?

Keevan_Colton · Post by **Keevan_Colton** » 2006-02-11 08:09pm

CarsonPalmer wrote:Keevan, but what if the check only make things worse? That is in many cases exactly what happens. No check is better than a check that damages what is being done.

What exactly is being done?

I'll tell you right now it isnt fucking teaching. I've run into a prize crowd of fucking idiots here, from those that repeat ad naseum that science is just as much a matter of faith as religion and trots out every logical fallacy in the fucking book to try and prove it...to those that apparently cant apply simple logic and who go off on one about how it's racist that africa was reffered to as the dark continent, and that the negative connotations associated with dark in the english language are a matter of racism rather than connected to physics...

Lets not even touch upon the fucking idiot who managed to change the marking criteria of the entire course three times in as many days...and who also, when told people were having problems with one of his assignments asked why they didnt just do something he had specifically told them they were not allowed to do...

No one is disputing that a check that is fair and impartial and improves things would not work.

There isnt any fucking check, complaints about the incompetence and stupidity get met with "well, it's a content issue, there isnt anything we can do", meanwhile one of these fuckwits has "lost" my test from their class and so I get no credit for that class...tell me again how no checks is in any way better than a check?
You can work to improve a check, but if there is none then there is nothing to improve.

wolveraptor · Post by **wolveraptor** » 2006-02-12 02:48am

Why the bloody fuck didn't you say anything IN class? You know, argue the point? Because he was speaking in a casual context, and not in a lecture, his opinions at that point are officially recognized to be about as good as yours or mine. I bet that's what the administration will say.

Keevan_Colton · Post by **Keevan_Colton** » 2006-02-12 10:11am

wolveraptor wrote:Why the bloody fuck didn't you say anything IN class? You know, argue the point? Because he was speaking in a casual context, and not in a lecture, his opinions at that point are officially recognized to be about as good as yours or mine. I bet that's what the administration will say.

If it's anything like here you'll get the retard brigade, sorry, the other students...shouting you down and giving you shit for a) using up class time and b) daring to challenge the lecturer.

Lord Zentei · Post by **Lord Zentei** » 2006-02-12 11:15am

How the hell can such a number of college students even countenance the idea that people used to live to the age of 300 that the lecturer is able to say that shit and get a discussion on it rather than general laughter? What the hell is going on in High Schools these days? For that matter how do wierdoes like this become/stay as college teachers?

wolveraptor · Post by **wolveraptor** » 2006-02-12 11:39am

Keevan_Colton wrote:If it's anything like here you'll get the retard brigade, sorry, the other students...shouting you down and giving you shit for a) using up class time and b) daring to challenge the lecturer.

Yeah, well Superman gets an F for not even trying. Shame on you!

Keevan_Colton · Post by **Keevan_Colton** » 2006-02-12 12:07pm

Lord Zentei wrote:How the hell can such a number of college students even countenance the idea that people used to live to the age of 300 that the lecturer is able to say that shit and get a discussion on it rather than general laughter? What the hell is going on in High Schools these days? For that matter how do wierdoes like this become/stay as college teachers?

The fact is that until my time here, I would have been amazed at it too... but now having been at Ryerson for an entire semester, I'm no longer quite so amazed that such retards are in college or university, they're running the fucking show here.

StarDestroyer.Net BBS

What do you think? Complaint letter time?

Should I send it to the administrators?

What do you think? Complaint letter time?