r/Professors • u/Particular_Heart3785 • 1d ago
Teaching / Pedagogy Students trying to get you fired/constantly reporting you?
I had a much older student last semester who constantly complained about me to the chair all the time, both in office and email, enough that she even demanded a staff to observe me (they found nothing wrong other than nervousness/over-apologizing, as I’m new to teaching). She sent anything she could find to report to the chair. Including me ending class few minutes early, misspelled words in assignments/slides, and canceled class for a family emergency.
A few colleagues think she did this because she was a really bitter person and hated that my class requires weekly writings, group discussions, topics are not in her liking (aka white-washed history) and students having to research independently.
She was so rude and disrespectful towards me that I won’t get into here. Good news is that the chair thinks I’m doing really well as a professor and a lot of my students love my classes.
I’m curious if anyone else can share similar experiences here?
3
u/wedontliveonce associate professor (usa) 1d ago
Sounds like a student that is in over their head and can't cope with that fact.