Student Stupidity

[Dr Pissed]

Ok, I got a new job this upcomming year. However, students that procrastinated on a major group project in one of my classes at my current institution are pissed because a low grade on the group project will greatly affect their final course grade. The students are pretty shady in that they have not even come to see me about their BS complaints, so I don't know who they might be. In fact, the only reason why I know their plans is because a student (who supports me) told me of their plans. They plan to write a petition for my current institution and to write a letter to my new institution - talk about malicious intent! Anyways, I've already signed my contract at my new institution, but I'm wondering how this stupid behavior might affect me. I've been proactive and have already contacted the chair at my current institution and have been assured support (including reference if needed).

[beenthere]

First, deep breathe.

Second, congrats on your new position.

Third, just make sure you keep records of all communications to and from students, their work, your evaluations of their work, etc. Keeping records of all student work and communication is just good practice.

If you have not done anything wrong then your current and future institution should back you all day. It’s also good that you were proactive and contacted your future institution just to give them a heads-up, especially given that it sounds like this *might* get to them.

Take this as a good learning experience (even if it is a bad experience)....we work with some great students and really bad ones...it's the nature of the game.

Best wishes

[OhStudents]

I agree with everything except the plan of contacting your new school. Students threaten things like this (especially if you are young, female, and/or a person of color - obviously i'm guessing that you are at least one of these). However, the chances that they follow through - and figure out who to actually contact are next to zero. And even imagining that they do figure out that they should contact the new chair, chances are that the new chair will dismiss the letter as students behaving badly and challenging your authority in an inappropriate manner. And even if the new chair did decide to ask you about it, you can tell your story. More importantly there is NO WAY your future job is at steak.

So, given all of the above, imagine if you contact your new chair to warn her/him. If the students never contact the chair, you come off as anxious and green - And this is exactly the moment you are working to create the impression of being a colleague (& not a grad student). Meanwhile if you've said nothing, and the students did email, and the chair decides to contact you, you then can explain calmly how the students never came to see you and instead tried to intimidate you into inflating their grades by going over your head. Your new chair would likely respect you for being able to understand student incivility from an analytic point of view.

So, I agree. Breathe. But also take this experience in stride. I promise that you will experience fewer of these kinds of instances as you develop as a professor. Also, you will feel less anxiety over instances like this with time.

For my part, I noticed less of this stuff as I transitioned from allowing my students to call me by my first name to insisting students call me Dr. So-&-So. I swear it makes a noticeable difference.

[OhStudents]

Steak - stake

[caliabd]

I highly recommend that you not contact your new school.

I think the chances are extemely low that bad students would actually take the time and effort to contact your future employer. Remember, these are probably slackers and they're just angry and spouting off about things they'd *like* to do. If they actually weren't such slackers.

Congratulations on your new position.

[drcompton]

Have you thought of sending the students an email? Just something like: the grapevine tells me you are unhappy with the outcome of your earned grade. I would be more than willing to go over your work and resulting grades with you if you have any questions or concerns. I would be proactive, but with the student(s) rather than the new dept head. This is some serious lack of accountability on their part, but I would still want to address it with them to ensure that all my students understand how they were graded. I would also offer them a chance to see what an "A" paper/project looks like (of course you would have to request prior permission to show them this). I have found that when they see what an A looks like, and it is clear their project is not that, that can really change their attitudes. What is most shady about this is that they have not spoken to you about it at all. I mean that is step one, if you think you really have a case.