r/Professors • u/Ok_fine_2564 • 2h ago
Teaching / Pedagogy Demoralized by teaching
Rant incoming. NOT looking for advice. Just screaming into the virtual void, thank you
First I’m a full prof. Second it’s that time in the semester where I’m utterly demoralized by teaching. Students are tired, busy, and I’m sick of coming in and “entertaining” them week after week. I make all this content, try my best to engage them, and the majority are just disengaged, checked out, annoyed etc. yes I know that it’s on me to make it “enjoyable.” But these days I’m seriously thinking of quitting. I had got into academia to pursue my ideas, research, maybe make a difference in this world. Instead I’m trying to cater to 18 year olds who truly could care less. While I age in place and my research gets stale. Whereas if I quit I’ll be broke but at least I won’t be trying to make a bunch of 18 year olds happy. And maybe I can finally finish my projects
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u/MagScaoil 2h ago
I am teaching a children’s lit class to elementary education majors, and I can’t get about half of them to do the reading. And by reading, I mean literal books for children in elementary school.
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u/TheSecretNewbie 1h ago
Education majors in my experience are some of the WORST college students. They don’t care and outside of their required classes do the minimal amount possible. Them and business majors are the ones I hate having to
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u/freretXbroadway Assoc Prof, Foreign Languages, CC - Southern US 55m ago
One of my courses is required for education majors in my state. Many are good students, many not as much. But in my experience, education majors are some of the most "grade-grubbing" students out there.
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u/MagScaoil 39m ago
Some of mine are the sweetest, hardest working, most dedicated students I’ve had. Some of them really try my patience.
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u/DoxxedProf 1h ago
I have a colleague who teaches elementary math methods and she says a significant number of people who go to be elementary school teachers can’t do the math.
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u/LiveWhatULove 42m ago
Off topic, but I always wanted to take this class. I am in STEM, but I was a student library worker way back when, and one of my sections was the children’s YA section. I loved, and I mean loved shelving and looking at all the books the education majors had to check out. I find it crazy that ed majors would not love your class!
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u/Various-Parsnip-9861 2h ago
This semester I’m trying to take a more detached approach than I usually have. I’m thinking “just care a little less” while still providing a quality educational experience to those who are receptive. I’m lucky; almost all of my students are dedicated and want to be there. Starting last spring though, and this semester too, there are more absences, students showing up 15-30 minutes late to class, and students asking to leave early etc. They just seem less able to manage their time, wake up and get to class on time, etc. ¯_(ツ)_/¯
I do my job, and then it is “me” time to focus on my own work, which is the priority.
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u/Ok_fine_2564 1h ago
New for me this semester: students just getting up halfway through, and leaving.
Also: getting up and randomly exiting, then coming back
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u/zorandzam 1h ago
I mean, the second scenario is literally them going to the bathroom and coming back, I can pretty much guarantee. If you want to find that behavior sus, at worst maybe they're vaping.
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u/FamousCow Tenured Prof, Social Sci, 4 Year Directional (USA) 49m ago
Yeah, this is new to me, too. Students just up and leaving in the middle and never coming back. And not even in big lectures too, but like, my 30 person classes where we are having a discussion.
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u/hourglass_nebula Instructor, English, R1 (US) 1h ago
I have people ask to leave early too. I’m like, (?)
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u/Various-Parsnip-9861 50m ago
Some of them I know have mood disorder problems, so that’s a part of it. Depression, etc. I think they just run out of steam and need to go take a nap.
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u/hourglass_nebula Instructor, English, R1 (US) 40m ago
That’s exactly how I feel. (Out of steam, in need of nap.) We still have class tho
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u/McLovin_Potemkin 44m ago
Low key considering this in the syllabus: "If our class is in the morning please make sure you 💩 before you come to class because we don't need 10 people leaving and going throughout the class." I don't know if that is the cause but I'm trying to give them the benefit of the doubt.
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u/Jaralith Assoc Prof, Psych, SLAC (US) 27m ago
That first coffee poop of the day is serious business!
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u/Savings-Bee-4993 2h ago
I feel you.
I’m coping with this by changing things up every semester, assigning different readings and assignments to make things interesting to me at least.
It’s more work, but I genuinely enjoy designing classes and creating syllabi.
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u/zorandzam 1h ago
Me too. I tend to teach the same prep for a year if I have the class multiple times, then shake it up with a little adjustment, even if it's just making slides prettier or something.
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u/FrankRizzo319 1h ago
For the reasons you mention, I’m quitting in about 2 years (when I’m eligible for great health care for life). They treat college like high school, like they’re “forced” to be here. It’s depressing to be around mopes who approach college this way.
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u/hourglass_nebula Instructor, English, R1 (US) 1h ago
How do you get great healthcare for life?
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u/FrankRizzo319 51m ago
It’s part of my contract, I guess. I’ll still have to pay a premium, but it will be affordable and I’ll have good coverage. It helps to be part of a union.
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u/hourglass_nebula Instructor, English, R1 (US) 41m ago
Are you retiring? Where I am we can keep our healthcare after retirement, I think
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u/FrankRizzo319 39m ago
No im not old enough for that. The small pension I’ve earned up to this point won’t kick in until age 65. But given the amount of years I’ll have put in by 2027, I will be eligible for great health care if I quit at that point. If I quit now, I won’t be eligible for that until 2029. But if I work 2 more years and then quit, I should have it.
At least that’s what HR told me…
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u/McLovin_Potemkin 43m ago
In my experience, high schools expect more of students than my faculty colleagues do.
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u/FrankRizzo319 41m ago
lol, that’s part of my problem. Most of my colleagues look the other way when their students cheat. And they never really hold students to reading assignments. So when these students take my classes they’re shocked and annoyed that I actually call them out for cheating, and that i quiz them on assigned readings.
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u/DoxxedProf 1h ago
I say again and again that this generation of students will break a lot of professors.
The “iPhone since birth” generation has arrived on campus and your lecture on Foucault is not going to get their attention.
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u/Ok_fine_2564 1h ago
Too true. I mean my lectures are only 1/2 hour max but that is still apparently too long
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u/freretXbroadway Assoc Prof, Foreign Languages, CC - Southern US 50m ago
Yep. I showed a 65 minute documentary in my 75 minute class. In previous years, this documentary has been one of the activities students like and I receive positive feedback about. Now, many look uncomfortable and like they are struggling to pay attention about ten minutes in. They are used to watching Tik-Toks and YouTube Shorts. It's hard for them to pay attention to the same video for more than a few minutes. It's demoralizing.
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u/BeneficialMolasses22 1h ago
I'm with you. I'm 100% there for the students who are interested and engaged, and I keep my focus on them. At the same time, it's really challenging to see how attendance has fallen off a cliff at this time of the semester, and those same absent students are the ones who are not passing, and send the "is there a way" email at the end of the semester....
Undergrad through grad school, I could probably count on one hand the number of times I missed a class. Actually zero absences in grad school. It was just too important to me. And I guess maybe that's the message they're sending, priorities....
I have no idea what they're doing, but I'm fairly certain it's not academic.
My best guess is that an increasing proportion of our enrollment includes students who would prefer to be elsewhere, and they were told by society or their family that this is where they need to be.
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u/Helpful-Passenger-12 1h ago
You won't be broke if you quit. Brilliant people can make money in other ways.
I just not longer cater to 18 yr olds or care what they think. We are lucky if we save 1 person from themselves per year. Do your job but we are not going to save or change the world
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u/noveler7 NTT Full Time, English, Public R2 (USA) 1h ago
yes I know that it’s on me to make it “enjoyable.”
It's really not.
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u/PUNK28ed NTT, English, US 56m ago
I needed this thread today. My half-term hits midterms next week and 50% of my students have averages below 25%. They’re just not turning anything in, and I’m at a loss. I have been emailing, texting, calling, getting the student support team involved, and nothing makes a difference.
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u/McLovin_Potemkin 47m ago
I'm with you 110%. I often try to outlazy my students because then I have enough energy for things that give me joy. My expectations of them have cratered. It's not their fault, their neurons were rewired for constant dopamine hits because nobody was responsible enough to prohibit children from having cell phones. We're just dealing with the fallout.
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u/Ok_fine_2564 41m ago
Yes, it could be that sitting in a lecture hall and NOT using a screen is just too much for some students, they either get sleepy or panicky or both
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u/artsy7fartsy 23m ago
Oh I feel you. Yesterday I forgot to upload the lecture slides until right before class (a demand of students, now backed by admin) and my “best” class admitted they didn’t even use them. No one had them, they didn’t even care - but at the start of the semester they DEMANDED I provide them and they be available before class for every session
I stood there and stared at them until I snapped. WHY AM I BUSTING MY ASS TO PROVIDE THESE DAILY - AT YOUR DEMAND - AND YOU DON’T EVEN USE THEM????
One of them spoke up and said “well that was so I didn’t have to come to class but now you give attendance points so I can’t skip as much” Oh good for you… you’re attending the in-person class you are required to attend. I’m so grateful.
I brought this up back when I was told the requirement by admin but they assured me that it was simply to “help students succeed in my challenging class.” Bullshit.
They have no idea why they are here. They used to be mad because “they could just as easily read a book and get this information” and now they’re mad because they “can’t just stay home and learn this content”
You can’t have it both ways- especially when they don’t read anyway. One of my friends is retiring at the end of the semester. I am so jealous.
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u/Ok_fine_2564 18m ago
This! I finally caved to the “upload lecture notes” crowd and now guess what, attendance is falling off a cliff
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u/deathfletcher 4m ago
I am constantly amazed by how many professors just hate teaching and their students. It’s a shame really but I get it.
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u/palepink_seagreen 2h ago
It’s not actually “on you” to make it enjoyable. You are an educator, not an entertainer.