My wife is a professor and she deals with a lot of coddled students.

My sister in law is a college professor and I hear these same stories all the time. The only advice I give her is that it is better to learn your lesson in college by getting an F than it is once you are out working in the real world where that sort of behavior/action results in you getting fired.

ygfvgh wrote:

Rocky Mountain Hi wrote:

I don't think there is a standard list, but these would probably qualify:

- 99% of people will not be successful, at anything, without legitimate hard work.

- Outside of school you won't be granted deadline extensions or extra credit.

- You will have very little direct control over the outcomes of many events in your life.

- Sometimes things just suck.

- Sometimes life is just unfair.

- Sometimes you won't get the promotion despite working hard because someone else worked harder.

These aren't unique life lessons - everyone experiences them. Being coddled in school doesn't help you adjust to or prepare for any of these things.

And not being coddled through school teaches each of these lessons how?

Troll alert. Nobody feed him with a serious answer.

More parents should be like Mr. Cosby http://i.imgur.com/Z1758.jpg

That's like saying can you show up to the work presentation and just present and not do any of the research behind the presentation!

allow me to explain wrote:

Wait - no. The more I think about this I guess I still AM annoyed about this, 10 years later. If I can still get good grades on exams, why do I have to waste my time coming to your class and doing homework assignments? Isn't the point to master the material, not just shuffle paper around?

At some colleges, the point is to expand your thinking, not just learn how to get by on a multiple choice test. Unfortunately, most college students use class to catch up on the material that they did not read. The best classes I attended were those in which the professors kept us accountable to the reading and then used the class time to expound on that or have discussion about how it could be applied for us. In my undergrad my major specific classes had any unexcused absence result in a 1% drop on the final grade. The only things that qualified for excuses were deaths, job interviews, and sports team requirements. Although the policy was annoying sometimes, it stressed the importance of classtime.

Trololololol wrote:

ygfvgh wrote:

And not being coddled through school teaches each of these lessons how?

Troll alert. Nobody feed him with a serious answer.

So people should send me non-serious answers? Doesn't that make you and them the trolls? There's nothing wrong with my question. I've no problem with teaching lessons and having ideals, but let's take a timeout and make sure these strict policies are actually teaching each of these lessons. And let's make sure that the student understands exactly which lesson they are being taught.

Let me just add, the entitlement mentality is not so relatively new: a professor in our school of music sent out an email last week about forming a committee to discuss the building "aesthetics". There had to be at least 15 professors, both full and part-time who jumped on the bandwagon, adding their two cents about what should be changed, ranging anywhere from having larger offices, to new paint, new carpets, new lockers and even a rooftop garden! I should add this is a STATE_RUN school which has had severe budget cuts the past two years - this is the first year there's been a fraction of a % cost of living salary increase.

Our similarly entitled faculty don't seem to comprehend that a state-run institution doesn't qualify for an HGTV design challenge makeover.

I work for a state-run University (researcher, not prof) and we all had our offices repainted and recarpeted this fall. I just couldn't understand why public dollars were used for this "remodel" when, to me, things were just fine the way they were. Surely there were more pressing needs to spend the money on?

Because the disparity in power between teacher and student lots of students submit to coddling because they are afraid of a bad grade. Unwanted coddling is more common than you think. It is still illegal sexual harrasment in most states.

Pic's?

ivory hovel wrote:

At some colleges, the point is to expand your thinking, not just learn how to get by on a multiple choice test. Unfortunately, most college students use class to catch up on the material that they did not read. The best classes I attended were those in which the professors kept us accountable to the reading and then used the class time to expound on that or have discussion about how it could be applied for us. In my undergrad my major specific classes had any unexcused absence result in a 1% drop on the final grade. The only things that qualified for excuses were deaths, job interviews, and sports team requirements. Although the policy was annoying sometimes, it stressed the importance of classtime.

Yep. I'm in grad school now, and I cold pretty much skip class every day and still get As on the graded work. But the whole point of going to a decent school is to spend time discussing ideas with smart students and top notch faculty. That's what I'm paying for. I could spend two years sitting on my couch at home reading journal articles and writing papers for free. I pay tuition so that I can attend lectures and discussions.

Clell Adams wrote:

Isn't coddling students against the law?

not at Penn State

sadday wrote:

Clell Adams wrote:

Isn't coddling students against the law?

Maybe you're thinking of canoodle?

Of course canoodle means "to chat"

Flagpole wrote:

wifeprof wrote:

Her latest: she's had a student that has not showed up to class since September 27 and he just emailed her today and said he wants to make up some of his assignment. Do kids learn this kind of entitlement mentality at home? Where does it come from?

My wife is also a professor, and she sees the same things...fortunately that kind of thing is the minority and there are still responsible young people out there.

So, you are saying that she is the exception, and that these kids sense weakness in her, so they are trying to pull the rug over her eyes.

Got it! That must be why the "bad" kids flee my classroom; they know they are not going to get by with that crap in here.

Since no one has mentioned it, if you learn that an underage student has been coddled you must notify the police immediately. That's what got everyone in trouble in the Sandusky case.

CBC wrote:

sadday wrote:

Maybe you're thinking of canoodle?

Of course canoodle means "to chat"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSqmlzaJM0Y

lol

Not sure I'm getting what you're saying, but if you're saying they sense weakness in my wife then you are mistaken; she's actually tougher than most. Just because they might ask for something outrageous doesn't mean they are granted it, and she makes it crystal clear on day one what the expectations are. Not all college kids believe what they are told and will try to test the boundaries if it benefits them, but they mostly are met with a brick wall if they try something like that.

Steve Martin wrote:

Flagpole wrote:

My wife is also a professor, and she sees the same things...fortunately that kind of thing is the minority and there are still responsible young people out there.

So, you are saying that she is the exception, and that these kids sense weakness in her, so they are trying to pull the rug over her eyes.

Got it! That must be why the "bad" kids flee my classroom; they know they are not going to get by with that crap in here.

Flagpole wrote:

My wife is also a professor, and she sees the same things...fortunately that kind of thing is the minority and there are still responsible young people out there.

You may want to blame this on minorities but lot's of white kids are the same way

Benedict wrote:

My sister in law is a college professor and I hear these same stories all the time. The only advice I give her is that it is better to learn your lesson in college by getting an F than it is once you are out working in the real world where that sort of behavior/action results in you getting fired.

My wife has a friend whose husband's cousin knows a college professor. I'm sure she would tell the same kind of stories. It's just awful and the parents are to blame.