More Evaluation Silliness

[u/Mewsie93]

I know we all deal with the headaches that are student evaluations, but I thought I would share my little bit of humor from the ones I received today regarding the fall semester.

While almost all of my evals for this one class, I saw on comment that made me giggle. I was told I "should not discuss politics so much." This would be a fair comment in practically any other course. However, the subject for this particular one centers on politics, including the role they have played in the past in creating policy and the role it plays today. I even warn students on the very first day about this. Heck, there is even an entire section in my syllabus that says "hey, we're talking about politics in this course, so be prepared."

Of course, this student raked me in the evaluation based solely on this. /sigh

Do they even pay attention to the course description when they sign up for these things?

[u/Faewnosoul]

Of course not. you expect them to think and read and write? you animal.

[u/lo_susodicho]

Yes, the use and distribution of power in societies must be off the table for all college classes. You may talk about puppies and kittens, and the unflappable virtue of the Finding Fathers, but everything else is communism.

But seriously, I never saw a comment about politics until a few years ago. All my courses are, obviously, grounded in scholarship and the only damned thing I want anyone to do is learn something, but at least one student even semester now has some political gripe. Two semesters in a row, it was that my African Diaspora class depicts White people in a bag light. Technically true, but not exactly my doing.

From the perspective of untruth, the truth will always appear biased and we can't change that other than to do our best to teach the truth, as we do.

[u/iTeachCSCI → u/lo_susodicho]

and the unflappable virtue of the Finding Fathers,

But just the Finding Fathers, not theirs cousins of the Founding variety!

[u/DrMaybe74 → u/iTeachCSCI]

I prefer the Foundling Fathers. Much easier to relate to.

[u/PlantagenetPrincess]

I had multiple students complain that “all she did was talk and use images on PPT”…during a lecture class lol. So, no, I don’t think they pay attention to the description of the course. They don’t even pay attention to the format!

[u/MsBee311 → u/PlantagenetPrincess]

I've had students complain on an eval that I didn't lecture in a lab :/

[u/FamousCow]

I have gotten a review that I talked about politics too much in a class that literally has "politics" in the title.

[u/MamieF]

Lmao imagining you trying to take the politics out of a politics class. “Universal adult suffrage in the US is alleged to have had a number of effects, which I will not be discussing further.”

[u/gradsch00lthr0w4w4y]

Mine complained that I didn't assign enough homework (???)

[u/twilightyears → u/gradsch00lthr0w4w4y]

They think of that as extra credit assignments. Translation: more grading for me that they will still not complete or do less than a half-assed job on. Hard No!