By Ashley Hefner, Photographer and Staff Writer
Recently, I had an encounter with a teacher that left me deeply uncomfortable.
In front of the entire class, my professor called me out saying, “You need to control your anxiety.” I was mortified. I had no idea how to respond, and went silent due to embarrassment and distress.
It was a regular Tuesday afternoon, the day after the water in Brookdale went out, and I was sitting in class when my professor asked, “How does everyone feel that they couldn’t brush their teeth today?” As someone who rarely checks the Stern in the Know chat, I was quite confused, considering I did not know about the incident, and became visibly scared because I had chugged 16 oz of sink water earlier that morning. That was when she gave me her harsh and loud response. I sat through the rest of the lesson extremely upset, wondering how a professor could be so insensitive as to embarrass a student in front of the whole class. Although I wanted to talk to them about how I felt after the interaction, I felt that I couldn’t address my discomfort with them because they frightened me.
Maybe I was being sensitive, maybe I was overreacting and maybe their comment about my anxiety was valid. But does that automatically give them the right to embarrass me in front of my peers? If it does, are students supposed to accept this and sit in their discomfort whenever situations like these occur?
Sadly, this is not the first time this teacher has engaged in this type of inappropriate behavior, which left me questioning: Why did this teacher act so disrespectfully? Is it because of a lack of awareness about how their actions impact others? Is it because they simply don’t care? Or is it because this teacher has tenure and, therefore, thinks they can do anything they want without reaping consequences?
No matter the answer, one thing is clear: This type of behavior results in educational gridlock, stalled learning progress, and impacts students by harming their learning environments.
When teachers are insensitive to how their words and actions impact students, the result is an uncomfortable classroom environment, characterized by students who lack confidence and are hesitant to ask questions and participate in class discussions. Although professors are not directly responsible for ensuring that students feel comfortable, they are responsible for creating an environment that fosters intellectual growth in their classrooms. However, when professors cross the line of what is considered professional behavior, the opportunity for valuable learning is lost.
There have been many times when I have refrained from asking questions because of feeling judged by the professor for reasons like the story above. This leads to another question: Why do teachers choose to teach? To foster educational growth or to assert their internally felt dominance over students? If their answer is the former, but they still engage in actions that make students uncomfortable, they should strive to be more sensitive to how their actions contribute to ineffective learning. If their answer is the latter, they might want to reconsider their career path.
Regarding tenure professors, if an educator behaves in a certain way simply because they know they will get away with it, that is an egregious abuse of power. Why should students have to sit in their discomfort and continue going to class with a professor who does not behave appropriately just because they are above the consequences? It’s not fair.
I would hope that professors enter this workforce to educate students, enabling them to make a difference in the world. But how can that goal be reached in a hostile learning environment?
I understand that sometimes students need tough love to reach a greater level of success. However, there is a clear distinction between encouraging students to strive for success and making them feel uncomfortable, embarrassed, ashamed or scared. Tough love involves someone being harsh to help students reach their highest potential. Conversely, in my situation, the professor’s comment was unnecessary and made my anxiety worse, not better.
At the end of the day, in order for students to reach their highest potential, all professors – tenured or not – should hold themselves to professional standards and maintain a classroom setting that provides students with a positive learning environment. Without that, curiosity is silenced and learning is hindered.