the re-re-arrival of the petulant demand

Music: I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness: Fear is On Our Side Recent email from a student:

DJ Joshy Juice,

I understand your policy regarding cell phones, but why are you so strict about the actual taking of the quizzes? When I am there on time, there's barely enough time to bubble everything in before you're scrolling down the questions. And, on the two occasions that I've been one minute late to class, I wasn't even given a scantron! If someone makes the effort to come to class, reads the reading, and can probably analyze Adorno better than the rest of the class, why can't you allow them to at least pick up a scantron and scribble in their answers as quickly a possible? There's no reason to either deny someone a scantron, or not zoom out so that all of the questions can be read at one time. I've now lost half a letter grade because of this ridiculousness.

[signed student jones]

This student, by the way, was let graciously into the class two weeks late. My replies were various, sundry, and just as rude. But I didn't send them. Instead, I sent this:

Hello Student Jones,You were absent on the first day of class when I discussed this issue directly. I always do a "you have been warned" speech, and also, explain the more pragmatic rationale of why we do it first thing (it has to do with fire code, 200 people classes, and so on). If you want to hear that discussion again, you can ask a fellow student, or alternately, come to see me during office hours. There are, in fact, good reasons for doing the quizzes the way that we do them.

You can do an extra credit assignment to make up missed quiz.

I must admit that, while I appreciate the casual and cutting through the thick, rarified air of academia, I nevertheless find your tone disrespectful. I've been doing this for about ten years now, and I worked hard on developing this class. I would not describe any part of the class, including my policies, as "ridiculous."

Do you always address professors this way when you have a problem? I would not recommend it.

Dr. Gunn

Her reply confirmed what many academics have conjectured in a number of essays in The Chronicle and similar outlets: the medium encourages the erosion of what my social scientific colleagues call "face work":

Dr. Gunn, 

I was in fact absent for the "you have been warned speech." I still don't understand I why I wasn't given a scantron, but I will consult my fellow students as to what was said during this discussion. If that's unsuccessful, I'll visit you at your office hours.

This is the first occasion that I've ever used such a tone to a professor. Part of it has to do with how much easier it comes when I'm hiding behind a computer, the rest, well, I don't know.

I do apologize for my last email and its disrespectful tone. It's unacceptable and will not happen again.

[signed Student Jones]

Thank goodness; this response has me relieved. I don't like to invoke my "authority" like this, because I think part of my pedagological success is the "cut through the crap" style I try to adopt in the classroom. But I think the "look, dudes and dudettes, here's what I really think" approach I sometimes adopt for teaching (more so in smaller classes) encourages a familiarity that tempts the self-entitled. The last thing I need is another one of these entitled students, who even emailed the dean about how unfair my policies were. What had me worried was the comment that "I get Adorno better than anyone." The "I'm smarter than everyone" comment is an expression of entitlement we need to be wary of . . . .

I'm too sensitive. Emails like this bother me. I dream about them. I need to develop a tougher skin or alter my teaching style. I don't want to alter my teaching style.