Will I Miss Anything Important, with Susy and Melissa

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welcome to re teach a place where professors know the student equity gap can be closed. And I willing to put in the work to figure it out. We are dedicated to our teaching in. Our students were passionate about improving our classrooms and our communities. We can make a difference. We will make a difference. I am your host, Bruce Hoskins, in my mind and heart are ready to learn what's up, everyone. So, look, this episode we're gonna focus in on this email that was posted in this professor group. Captain, I'm in. And I'm part of a few like group chats that involved, like sociology, sociological thinking, teaching in practices and stuff like that. And so I won't mention the name of the group. I will not mention any people in the group. But there was this posting, and I want to read it to you first so that you know we can We can talk about this because this is about responding to student e mails, right? This this episode's gonna be about responding to student e mails. And so here's the e mail. Here's what The professor. This professor, you know, they cut and pasted this up. And so the student wrote, Hi, Professor. I'm not feeling well and won't make it to class. Will I miss anything important? So that's the end of the student response, right? And so the professor now writes in while House Shut out, How shall I respond? Contrary to what's written on the syllabus, we aren't addressing anything relevant today. Instead, we'll be watching reruns of Shits Creek. Or maybe can we deconstruct a word important. We will address cultural capital in a couple of weeks, and then there's, like the semi colon and then, like the parentheses to suggest, like a winking face. Right? And look, folks, let me make this 100% perfectly clear. I understand that this is supposed to be funny that this is supposed to be Ah, sarcasm, right? I'm a one night and as a matter of fact, I mean that shit's creek reference. I didn't know that there was a show called Shit's Creek. It's always like, Oh, man, they talk about, you know, being up Shit Creek without a paddle type of deal. But, you know, it's a TV show, so I look, when I found that out, I thought it was like, Oh, no, that's that's that's interesting. And what not? I don't know if I thought that this was funny, but, you know, not everything needs to fit my sense of humor. But look what I'm thinking about this. I'm just really perplexed in regards to the assumptions that are being made in the space. And why are we not? Why is this even a thing? Why? Why is this email being posted in the group of professors? And why is this wise this question and why's the response? So what's the word? Snarky, Sarcastic. I mean, all of that right in the space. And so I'm really trying to figure this out, because here's how I would respond that I'm gonna respond back to the students. Something like this is like, Hey, look, I'm sorry. Thio here about your health. Um, I hope you feel better soon, and please take much time as necessary. In order for you to feel better, you know, we'll be covering whatever chapter you know, concept in this chapter. But you know what? Talk to me when you get back, and I hope you get caught up. I hope you get caught up during office hours or something like that. I hope you feel well soon. That's it. I mean, you know, of course, that it would change it. It wasn't an assignment or something like that in there that I'm handing out, but basically does it. That's what I'm going to write. And like I said, I'm not spending any special time thinking about this. I'm not spending any like this. These this question doesn't bother me at all. I rarely get this question. And even if I got it, is still like I said, it doesn't bother me at all. Yet clearly this bothers a lot of my professor colleagues that are in this group chat. It clearly must bother them. The reason why I know that is because numerous festers in the space they were just They said, reply with just yes, and I'm like, Oh, okay, well, I get it again. We're trying to be funny, but why that? Just respond to the question, right? Here's another one. Here's another response that people had, And so this other professor, they said this is what they would write. Have a look at the syllabus regarding the topics covered in today's class. Check on the posted notes, reading materials references. If you have any questions, feel free to come to see me during office hours. Hope you feel better soon. Now this seems like a really helpful answer. But I really think that we need to check ourselves on sending the student to another space in order to get an answer that they could just get from you. All right. I mean, think about it. They're asking you for what's going on right? And when we're thinking about what students are thinking about, what important is Look, we got Lee. It's like check your ego. It's like they're not telling you that you're not important to not telling you that the class is not important. They clearly cannot be thinking, Yo, your class is not important. Are we going to cover anything important? Because guess what? Here's how you know that there's actual physical evidence that tells us that the students know that your class is important. Did they paid for it? And so they know that this class is important, so I don't get why you're feelings would be hurt, because that's clearly to me what the space is where this all this stuff kind of emanates is that it's about yo Oh, you're not acknowledging my importance right now. You're not acknowledging that my class is important when you ask me, Am I gonna miss anything important is like love, folks, they're sick, They're sick is over asking, Yo, I get the day they may even be thinking is like, Yeah, I get that there's a civil miss. But in the student experiences and quite honestly, with our own experiences as professors, we should know that Cilla, by change assignments change. Ah, lot of times I push things back. I never move anything forward. I don't want to make sure it's just like I don't I don't agree with that. I don't like moving things earlier, but I definitely will push things back. I will change some assignment and stuff like that and S O. And in my research methods class I update things daily are not daily, but every class period in regards to the lab that's going to be done and everything like that. And so then when it comes to this question, like I said, it keeps bringing me back to a space of like yo is your sense of self so small? Is your looking glass cell so broken that you can't give the students the benefit of the doubt that they don't, that when they are asking about what's important that they are in no way, shape or form trying to disrespect you, They really just want to know. Am I missing is an assignment. Is something been changed around right? Like that should be our default. I don't And I don't get any response that would send us into another space. Except you got your feelings hurt. And what I would ask us is if your feelings can get hurt that easily, why are you teaching? I mean, if you need to be that important that every student needs to acknowledge the importance at all times. Why are you doing this to yourself? Right? Because students are gonna respond how they're gonna respond. People are gonna say what they're going to say. Um, if you don't go make goodness, if you don't like how your body looks, where you gonna be? A swimsuit model like I'm just saying, like, and that has nothing to do with swimsuit models and how your body looks I'm literally like, If that's how you're thinking, why are you going to go into space where people are going to say things in a very straightforward and if sometimes they're gonna just, like, say, how they're going to say it and it's like I said And the fact that they're paying for the class should let you know already that it can't possibly be that they don't think that this class is important. Actually, we should be given a suit. Is the benefit of the doubt on that all the time? And so, like I said, where is this question coming? Where is this? This? Where is this response? Coming from? This field is need to feel, you know, upset or sarcastic, even and whatnot. It's so now. Here's how I know right that that professors were upset because a lot of whom were just like you should just respond with Yes, meaning what? Yes, yes, what? Yes, I'm gonna miss something important, right? And it's like, Wow, just going that out there. Here's here's something this one really tripped me out was like, there's a there's a professor here says. I don't respond to those at all And not only did they say I don't respond to those at all, but this this response got 11 likes, and I'm like, Wow! So there's 11 people in this group that, like, really, that this is what they thought was a good response was no response s o d o. So I wrote. So I actually wrote back on that one. I was like, I thought it was our job to respond to students just saying like that. That's how I said, That's what I wrote and not that I'm in a battle likes here. But there were four people don't like that, but this So here's Here's where, Like I said, Here's where I hear that pain some more, right that that pain, that smallness, that broken looking glass self I would I would say, is S o this person, they respond back to me. They said, Seriously, I respond to them all the time and bent over backwards to help. But that kind of question is worthless. My students know that we cover material in class discussions. That is not necessarily in the homework assignments. If a student asked that they are just trying to make nice and cover their ass. And I'm like, Wow, wow, Really, This this is The students said they were sick. So do you. So here's I guess this is the question that everybody is like. Do you really not believe the students when they say that they're sick and that they need a day off and what not Or I mean what's really going on in that space, Because when a student tells me that they're sick and they can't come to class, honestly, we should thank them for not coming to class when they're sick, right? Especially with all this, you know, the Corona virus and everything going around right now, it's like, Yo, we should be thankful that students, when they feel sick that they're not coming in order to make other people feel uncomfortable to get other people infected. We should be thankful that they're not coming to school sick. And yet what does this mean? Right as I think about it is like looking way, make him feel bad enough the way that you're responding, you could make someone feel bad enough like someone like me who was the first generation college student you could make me feel bad enough to go like yo's like, man. Just like this person obviously thinks that I insult them. I didn't want to insult them. I think they're important. I value them. And so you know what? The next time I'm sick, I'll make sure I come to class. I'll just day quill it up. You know what I'm saying? I'm just gonna medicate myself, and I'll just come to class and I'll just tough it out. And then what? You're gonna make other people sick? You might make the Professor Sig. This is such a bad way of doing things. It's so bad. And yet that is the possible consequence, isn't it? Like you make someone feel bad about missing something. Quote important. Well, then, Okay, next time I'm sick, I'll just come to class then and then you're gonna be all pissed off. You get sick because of student comes a class. Okay, cool. So anyway, and And so and then I question what they say right off of the faces of their like, Seriously, I responded them all the time and bend over backwards to help. If you respond all the time and bend over backwards to help. They're just respond and bend over backwards to help. But clearly that's not what you meant. You're actually they covering their own ass by saying it like that in this space. To me, I'm like, That's That's just that's ridiculous is like, clearly you're not bending over backwards to toe answer stuff because you're not answering this one. And this is the person is sick and asking what's important What what are they missing? As important that day, Did you change something? Maybe they should say that they should change something. But even if they say that, like I said, it shouldn't be assumed that the student has any ill intent toward you. And so the reason why I'm coming out there so hard is because is that it's It's that feeling, that feeling of ill intent that that really is the equity space is that is that equity space? Because here here, here's the equation here, folks. And so if you if you're a student and you say something like this, that's one thing. If you are a student of color right of your of your student from a historically underrepresented group, historically marginalized group, then that's a whole another right. That's like a multiplier effect is like shooting. It's like in and what not? It's so when we're thinking about these responses and who you're responding to write and how you're interpreting these things. And the reason why I could say that clearly is because it's clear that for me, as a black man living in this world, that things that I say are interpreted way more harshly a lot of times then what I had intended because of me being a black man, me having this voice that I have is interpreted far more harshly than what I had intended. It was like, Look, I'm actually just asking the question right now, but people elevate it into something that's bigger than what it actually just is. It literally is just me asking you a question, but you're making it seem like I, you know, in some way, shape or form insulted you, and that's something that we all need to be considering into space. Right then there was this response. This other professor, a completely different person. They said Regis syllabus. You're an adult. Figure it out. Okay, so my question to you is if they are an adult. Would you talk to an adult that way? If you know the answer, let's think about it like this is So let's Let's let's let's say you're walking around on campus, right? You're You're a professor at that campus. You've been there for a long time, you know? Where the stuff is that, right? And a student. They walk up to you, write an adult on adult walks up to you, and they say to you, Hey, do you know where the cafeteria is? And clearly, you know where the cafeteria is? You might have just got finished eating your food at the cafeteria, and so clearly you know where the cafeteria is. But what have you said this? You're an adult? Look at a map. Doesn't that sound really bad? That sounds really bad to me. Maybe I'm the weird one. Is that right? Is like, maybe I'm weird. That's it sounds really bad to me. And so if you don't think that sounds bad to knock yourself out, that's what you're gonna write is like, Hey, you know what? You and adult figure that shit out. Okay, Cool. So so but would you really talk to an adult like that. Would you talk to your significant other like that? I'm just saying is like, Yo, where's the catch up? You know what? Why don't you look and find a ketchup your damn self? Are you really going to say that to someone that you care about? And if you are? Well, you know, done a look. One how long you don't stay together? I guess. Can I wonder that, maybe And as oh, and then and then that translate to a flat into a classroom, Right? Because you're talking like that to your students. Well, how long are they going to stay in your class? But you know what? I've actually figured it out. Some, Some folks, some professors, they actually don't want students to be in a class or they don't want a whole bunch of them because you know what I mean? That means more work, right? I mean, literally, it means more work. And so I was like, Look, if I treat people badly and yet still I'm able t keep classes and whatever as a full time, you know, Tinker Falcon, remember what it's like Then it don't matter how many students in my class. As a matter fact, maybe I should be bad. Just tow, have less work which, if you work at a school with the union, you should really think about right workload, distribution and stuff like that and compensation. But we just gonna leave that off the table for right now. And so then this professor, So I So I we exchanged some text back and forth on this other professor. He was like, um, I make it clear on my first day and in my syllabus, students should not. And for me beforehand, of any absences, the procedure is to bring the required documentation with you when you return. And we will figure everything out then, in terms of determining if absences are excused. Now, look, maybe I'm just weird about this, but it's like excused absences. I don't so I mean, I work at a community college and we don't do the whole abstinence thing. And last time I checked, Title five said, We're not supposed to grade based on attendance, if you would. And so I'm really confused about the language that's being used here. But that's you know I can't I didn't talk to about that. And so then they Further they said, I also make it clear in my syllabus it is the student's responsibility to get any notes or information from their fellow students are encouraged them to find a buddy that would give them information so that, you know, that's something that, um I you know, I actually encourage students to do the same thing. So that part I'm I'm good with and then and then, you know, just just really seems to be happy about these. These two policies stop 98% of e mails like this for me, right? It's all this dude is like, you know, it's like, these seem to be very happy about this, but then I look, but then I Look, look, I'm gonna ask these questions, and so I write bringing in documentation, right? Privileges, a middle class mentality towards healthcare that floods our emergency rooms with people that do not need to see a doctor. They just need a few days off to rest and get better. As so they write back. Providing documentation is a policy of my department. So critical theory aside, it is the current structure as an adjunct. I do not have the power to change it, and bucking it might be detrimental. So they're not right back. Oh, no, no, no. Somebody else writes back. Hey, we have a clinic on campus and most students can go there. I don't require any kind of documents. I don't require any kind of documentation, even at that, right? But so they're pointing out that there's a free clinic on the campus. And then so I then my last part that I write is like, Look, so is Praxis out of the question? So practice for us. A sociologist is putting your knowledge into practice, right? That's that's Praxis rights. I putting what you know and all of this stuff into practice. Once you know something exists, then what are you gonna do with that? And practices would say, Hey, you know something? You got to do something to make some positive change in the world. That's that's what proxies is supposed to mean it. So that's what I'm saying. So is Praxis out of the question? Maybe you could just bring it up to the department chair, right? So what I'm saying is, is that yo, you understand? his documentation thing. It's like privileges, middle class mentality about health and whatnot. And and And he's like, Yeah, but yeah, I get it. I understand what you're saying, but it's department policy. And I'm like, Yo, what? Why are we sociologist? And this is gonna be the case. Why did we learn What the heck is that? We learn to spend all this time grinding and learning about We're not actually gonna put it into practice. So maybe this is a problem on my part. Maybe I'm the weird one. You know what? I constantly, constantly, constantly I find out that I'm the weird one in all of this. What not it's so you know what? I'm just gonna leave that hanging. I'm clearly on the were one and I'm just, you know, just leave this all whatever. But you know the part where you know this other person comes in and they say, Hey, we have a clinic on campus and most students could go there And look, we have a clinic on our camp is also and students pay health fee and you know, basically it operate as mandatory and so students can go there. The thing is that I kid you not on our campus. I don't know how it goes on anybody else's campus, but on our campus. The health service is place is like one of the most unused space is that students go to, like, almost, ever. I mean, it's it's so under you and there's, you know, and this is not to say anything about the service is or the people that are there. It's just I wonder why students don't go when they won. You know, when they're sick and stuff like that, maybe they could go on and what not? And maybe we should encourage that behavior. But they used my question to you. Is your students even know where the health clinic is on your on your campus? Do they even know if they do know? Do they even know the service? Is that they that they can get there, right? I mean, like, literally point blank is like, Do they even know what it is you're talking about? Right? And so this person, I like this response. It went into a space that I had not necessarily thought of is at THS this person. They were like your student is sick, It may not be at their best terms. It bay at their best in terms of logic or professionalism. Plus, they're probably about 19 and still learning how to do basic adult ing, right? Just tell them that you hope that they feel better and check with a friend for what they missed. I'm not suggesting you given credit for work that they didn't do, but it's always better to be kind, especially when you are really where you're already feeling lousy from being sick, right? So ah, lot of people like that. So that made me feel good. But then people started writing in some other responses here. People started writing in other responses, and they were like, Yo, you know, thank you for writing this because I was a bit of learned of the advice that other people were giving you. So I'm not so see, You know what? I'm not the only one. That's all. Not I'm not going to see here in trip. I'm not the only one that understands. Like, yo, that tone that Jonah taking and the advice that you give it what you're writing, absolute garbage do not do that if you like students, if you like. Students do not do this. But this is the part that I that I was that I was really like the thinking about was like, Yo, I didn't think about this part of it. And so that that same professor that wrote the part, it's like but a lot of students have anxiety problems, and being a student is very anxiety provoking because your professor has power over you and they don't have to be fair, she says. I had a student who experienced homelessness in high school, has seen his parents arrested. His father was gone. His mother spent years in an abusive relationship. She was less so mentally ill. She just wasn't even there anymore. He'd gotten a full ride to college. He was smart and motivated. He ended up graduating and he got a job, and I am beyond proud of him. But he suffered from anxiety after all of that, when he went to a professor because he was struggling, the professor dismissed him with. I don't care what your excuse is. The answer is no. Given that our students find themselves in cases like that, they aren't always assured that we will be kind or fair. Plus, many have been given the message that healthy boundaries and self care are unacceptable and that all that matters is productivity in grades. Telling a student they will miss important content if they stay home because they are ill could really freaked them out. I want to encourage my students to stay home and work on getting better, knowing they can make up whatever they missed once they have. And so the part that I really liked about this is that I've noticed myself that there are a lot more students who are anxious. But I don't want to say diagnose a plea, you know, having anxiety disorders and everything. But I wanna, you know, say that there is definitely more pressure on them. Maybe then we can possibly understand, given all the social media and everything that is, you know exponentially happens in their life versus you know, our lives. It's like I remember, you know, without having any social media or anything like that is like, Look, it's hard to come by information about how students are doing and how people are doing in your life and whatnot. Both through social media. You know who almost how everyone is doing, whoever your friends are and who you know, Wherever it is, you're following What now? It is so and so when I'm talking about right, this this this pressure is I all this pressure and anxiety that students are facing. And this student was traumatized, right in multiple spaces and whatnot. And yet they still were doing excellent work. Excellent academic work, as so for us as professors to be able to just, like, just be so dismissive. Right? So dismissive that you, as a professor, that you are so important that all the students trauma and experiences and all of these things and their motivation and everything it mean nothing. None of that means anything. If you miss a day of class, none of that means anything. Because I'm that important now. And you need about down to me. That is absolutely ridiculous. I cannot even imagine why you would have become a teacher if that is what you think. I can't. I don't even understand that. And so you know. So let me let me wrap this up and I'll do a part two on this one. because there's there's a lot more that I haven't even covered yet. Um, it was not so Let me let me pause this right now and just, you know, and just wrap this thought or, you know, wrap put the start of the end of saying like Like I said, the equity piece is this is that it's one thing for you to tell students they don't belong here. It's a whole other thing for you to not tell for you to tell first generation students to give them any sense that they don't belong here and that they're not that they're not asking good questions and things like that. And then it's another thing to say to, you know, people of color to students of color and student from underrepresented minorities and stuff like that. It's a whole nother thing for you to say that to them also right, because when you when you give them any sense that they are not asking appropriate questions or that you're not responding in a way that is kind and empathetic and assumes the best, it was not. It really, really has, you know, just disproportionately impacts these groups of folks, right And this is what the research tells us. That that stem research that I that I talked about earlier in regards to the, you know, 150 stem professors, 15,000 students and fixed mindset professors versus growth mindset professors we already know that having these attitudes and the way that we're talking to students has not only an effect on all students has a negative effect on all students, but it also disproportionately impacts underrepresented minority groups. And so and so with that, right, we need to be reflective on how is it that we're responding? Not only how is it that we're responding to students, but what are our baseline assumptions when we're in these spaces? And how are we interpreting all these events? So anyway, so I'm gonna wrap it up for this episode. I'm gonna come down with a part too. I hope you learned something. Piece. Thank you for listening to this episode of re teach. If you want to learn more about me or my open source introduction to sociology textbook, please go to Bruce Hoskins dot com In closing. I want to leave us all with the question. If you learn something today that you think would help closure student equity gaps. How long would it take to incorporate this into your classroom? A year? A semester? Next month? Today, no matter the time table, we must commit ourselves to becoming better teachers. Our students deserve it. All of them, not just the ones that are good already good.