Educational journeys often bring unexpected challenges, highlighting the critical need for empathy and understanding in teacher-student relationships.
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Key Takeaways:
- Teachers’ strict adherence to rules can lead to unfair outcomes for students facing personal emergencies, as seen in examples of students being penalized for unavoidable absences.
- A recurring theme is the absence of empathy from educators in situations like serious illness or family bereavement, causing unnecessary emotional and academic strain on students.
- These experiences underline the importance of balancing rule enforcement with compassion, suggesting a need for educational systems to foster more adaptable and humane approaches.
The relationship between teachers and students can often be complex and sometimes puzzling. A Reddit community is actively discussing this intriguing subject, sharing personal experiences and seeking understanding. A topic is stirring up discussion: How fair and flexible should teachers be? A member, now a teacher, shares a high school memory that still puzzles them. They completed an assignment early due to a family emergency, but their teacher refused to accept it before the set deadline. This strict approach led to a poor grade, despite the student’s circumstances. This experience highlights the ongoing debate about the balance between rules and empathy in educational settings, inviting readers to delve into these critical aspects of teacher-student relationships.
Understanding Student Challenges and Teacher Responses
In educational settings, the dynamic between students and teachers is crucial but can sometimes be fraught with misunderstandings and inflexibility. This is evident in a series of comments from a Reddit discussion, where members share their experiences with teacher rigidity in the face of personal emergencies.
One student recounts a situation where they were in the ICU, yet their college professor insisted on failing them for not giving advance notice of their absence. Despite their parents informing the school and obtaining disability accommodations, the professor remained inflexible, creating an unnecessary struggle for the student.
I had a college professor try to fail me in a course because he claimed I didn’t give him enough advance notice that I was missing class. I was in the ICU. I’m sorry I didn’t plan my ICU stay ahead of time. My parents did notify them of my absence, since I was otherwise occupied at the time. Had to get the Dean involved and obtain disability accommodations. Which he then refused to recognize, claiming that the provisions would cause undue hardship, despite literally no other professor having an issue.
Another example involves a screenwriting student who missed a class to attend a grandparent’s funeral. This student faced an unsympathetic professor who assigned an immediate essay as a punitive measure for the absence. Despite the student’s appreciation of the teacher’s skills, this incident left a lasting negative impression.
I had some stuck up professor for a screenwriting class. She made me watch a film and write an essay about it because I missed ONE class to bury one of my grandparents in college. Every other one of my professors was kind and didn’t make me do any make up work. I remember I had to turn it in right away as well. I probably should have reported it, but it was in her syllabus and it said no exceptions. I actually thought she was a good teacher, but I could never stop resenting her after all that bullshit.
Similarly, a freshman battling chicken pox faced rejection from a French professor who refused to acknowledge the student’s contagious condition. The professor dismissed valid medical evidence, forcing the student to seek intervention from the dean to get excused absences and makeup opportunities.
I was sick with chicken pox my freshman year of college (this was before the vaccine and I never caught it from any of the chicken pox parties my mom sent me to ask a young child). I was asked to leave campus until I was no longer contagious because it can be lethal to older people or people from countries that don’t commonly have it. Came back once I wasn’t contagious but still covered head to toe in healing pox marks and my French professor refused to excuse my absences or let me make up anything. He insisted I was making it up despite a note from health services and my horrid looking skin. I had to get the dean involved who, thankfully, saw what a ridiculous situation this was and required him to allow me to have excused absences and make up the quizzes I missed.
In a more extreme case, a student received a call about their father’s death while heading to a history class. The professor had previously stated a lack of concern for family emergencies, leading the student to avoid the class for the rest of the semester.
My very first day of a college history class, my professor said, “I don’t care if anyone in your family dies, do not email me if you won’t be in class”. As I was walking into that class the next day, I got a call my father died. I turned around and never showed up to that class the rest of the semester.
These experiences point to a common issue in the education system: the lack of empathy and flexibility in certain teachers when dealing with students’ personal crises. While some educators may have encountered dishonesty in the past, as one comment suggests, it’s crucial to balance skepticism with compassion. Treating students harshly without considering individual circumstances not only affects their academic performance but also their emotional well-being. These stories highlight the need for more understanding and adaptable approaches in educational institutions.
The Bottom Line
These real-life stories underscore a significant aspect of education: the need for a compassionate balance in teacher-student dynamics to support not just academic success but also the emotional well-being of students
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