Thread by @heyprofbow

Hi I want to tell a story about this.

https://twitter.com/iSmashFizzle/status/1086698311820738562

I taught quite a bit in graduate school bc the fellowship I’d been promised was ultimately not given to me bc, “Your dad can help you, can’t he? And Blah Blah has a wife.”

So I taught a LOT of night classes.”

The last class I taught there was at the dawn of the university’s use of email. My classes were pretty big (75-100), & 2.5hrs @ night, so it was an opportunity to contact students when they didn’t come early & sure didn’t stay late.

I had quite a few traditional college students in there, psyched they could knock a required class out in 1/2 a term.

There was one kid in there who sort of blended in & I was only vaguely clear who he was— he was one of the 20 or so white boy/brown hair/golf cap/frat shirt group who sat in the back.

As we moved through the term, his grades were declining.
C
C-
D+

I started to contact him by email. “You need at least a C- in this class to graduate bc it’s required for your major. You need to get your grade up. Please get up with me so I can help you.”

D

Final exam coming up: “Please know that if this class is required for your major, you need at least a C-. Please come see me so I can help before it’s too late.” (As I’m dissertating myself.)

Y’all know what happens.

And it wast just any old F.

It was a defiant one.

Like a 40.

And suddenly, he figured out where the reply button was on the email. “I didn’t realize it was so serious.”

(FYI: he never said he didn’t get/read the emails. He got them. And he knew what his grades were.)

So he came to my office. I was dreading it. Dreading. As a high strung PhD student, I overidentified with the pain of being a student.

But also as a high strung PhD student, how could you be ok w those grades? And I didn’t like conflict at all.

So I prepared a mantra to repeat. You’ll notice it.

He indicated that he would not graduate on time (the following May).

Me: “I understand that. If you need a C- in this class to graduate, you will need to take it again in the spring.”

“I’ll have to go to summer school. “

“I understand that is stressful. If you need a C- in this class to graduate, you will need to take it again in the spring when it is offered.”

“But my parents have already reserved hotel rooms.”

“I understand. I wish you had made different choices so this didn’t happen.”

“And they already bought a gift.” (Seriously?)

“I understand that. If you need a C- in this class to graduate, you will need to take it again. And please do things differently next time. Please. I wouldn’t want this to happen again.”

But...but...but...

I didn’t get mad or angry or defensive. Just forward-looking: “Here’s your to-do list now.”

Then he asked if he could take it again with me.

“Well, this is my last term teaching here. But my friend X is teaching it. You could take hers.”

“Ok.”

And as he left, I swear to god, like in a movie, he turned back around and said, “I wish this had happened to me sooner.”

Confused, I asked why.

“Because then I would have known it could happen to me.”

And y’all, I’ve never forgotten that lessen that he learned, that I learned.

Consequences. Learn them early.

So hell yeah hold that little racist responsible for his choices.

*Lesson (ugh)