Angry Professor

[MrsSpringsteen]

If you read the comments, people are debating if the professor had a right to do that and if what he did is acceptable

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hut3VRL5XRE

My personal initial reaction is, bravo. I am so sick of cell phones ringing everywhere, and of people talking on them everywhere. I can't believe the student actually answered it and started a conversation-that's how it appears in the video. For those of you in college-does that actually go on in class? Are there stated policies regarding cell phones in class?

A few comments

"Class disruption is not grounds for destruction of private property. The teacher should have asked the student to leave the room and left it at that; getting violent over the situation only shows how unprofessional the teacher is. If that's 'one of the best' at the school, then the school has some pretty low standards. Schools are supposed to educate students how to be better people, not get violent over something as small as a cell phone class disruption."

"It was private property until it rang, then it became a public nuisance. Disposing of a public nuisance is praiseworthy."


"Perhaps it was an mistargeted reaction but, in his defense, the appropriate thing to do would have been to beat the shit out of him in front of his parents and then beat his parents twice as hard. Anybody that clueless and rude needs a very demonstrative awakening offered to them to. He got it. And I'm glad. Hopefully he realizes just how socially retarded he truly is, and how miserably his parents failed him."


"I agree with Lordofcat, I think the rational and better decision would have been a warning of some sort. But still I kind of enjoy seeing the professor having the guts to punish the moron student."

Ok, maybe he could have and should have given him a warning first. He reacted out of anger but I do understand his anger completely-the student was being so rude and disrespectful. I enjoy seeing him have the "guts" to do that too, so many times I want to smash someone's cell phone. I bet the professor had to pay if he damaged it. Would it be possible for the student to sue?

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Oops, I guess it might be fake according to some of the comments. I still love it though and wish all professors would do that

 

[BVS]

I feel like doing that sometimes...

 

[yolland]

well hes a professor so money obviously isnt a prob for him, he could jus buy the kid anuther cell phone

Do they make a shitload of money? Yes they do

maybe the kid's mom was sick, or maybe his fiance is pregnant...maybe he needed to have his phone around to take a call.

Uh huh, and maybe he could've mentioned beforehand that that was the case, and that he'd go out in the hall to take the call when it came.



Yeah, I think this is probably staged; in real life you would get (at best) a reprimand from your dean or (at worst...and most likely if you weren't tenured) be fired--though probably not until the end of the semester--for damaging a student's property. Sad to say though, it is quite legal for a student to film me teaching without my consent, whereas if I filmed my students without their consent...bye bye.

I always mention on the first day of class (it's in the syllabus too) that students must keep their cell phone ringers off. I've never even bothered to mention that they also shouldn't answer them in class; that shouldn't even need to be said, and it's never happened in my classroom. Of course someone forgets to turn their ringer off every now and then; that's no biggie so long as they quickly turn it off when it rings, which so far they always have. I also always walk up and down the aisles while I lecture, and one of the reasons for that (besides the fact that I'm hyperactive and would wind up knocking the podium over if I tried to stand there...or freak people out by pacing agitatedly in circles if I attempted the casual strolling-about-the-front-of-the-room thing) is to keep students who use their laptops to take notes, from checking their emails or websurfing instead. If I do catch them doing this I don't smash their laptops of course; I just say "Go to the computer lab if you want to do that," much like I would ask them to leave if they were conversing during class. Technology has multiplied the ways to get distracted (and to distract others while you're at it).

I like how several of the comments advocate beating up the professor in response...

 

[verte76]

I don't mind it that the professor did that. It disrupts the class. That's why it's illegal to use cell phones while driving in some states.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

I like how several of the comments advocate beating up the professor in response.

I know, well it is youtube after all Someone posted that the professor has other videos like this, maybe that's how way (if he actually is a professor) of making a comment about issues like cell phones in class and the behavior of some students. Or maybe it was just a class project or something to get on youtube, I don't know. The general outrage directed at the professor in some of the comments is surprising- but when you consider the average age of youtube viewers, maybe not. Not to say that everyone that age would condone a student behaving like that, or would advocate violence against the professor.

Fake or not, I think it does raise some interesting questions and arguments. When I was at a movie a few months back this twentysomething guy kept taking his cell phone out incessantly, and the light was so annoying. This guy a few rows back yelled out "put the damn cell phone away" and I couldn't help but want to stand up and cheer. It was great. One reason I was sad to find out this professor thing might be fake

 

[80sU2isBest]

I don't mind it that the professor did that. It disrupts the class. That's why it's illegal to use cell phones while driving in some states.

The reason it's illegal in some states is because it's dangerous to drive while talking on a cell phone. Disrupting a class has a far less dangerous possible consequence than driving while talking on a cell phone.

Was the student rude? Yes, definitely. But that's his personal property. He should have been told to get out.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

Well acting on the presumption of a real scenario..yes it was his personal property, but the professor could feel so completely disrespected that human emotion takes over and anger gets the best of you. Sometimes when you feel completely disrespected you just want to lash out-at least it would be at a material thing and not directed at a person. Dignity and being respected is more important than property. I'm not saying the professor is right to smash the phone, but I understand it.

 

[yolland]

Was the student rude? Yes, definitely. But that's his personal property. He should have been told to get out.

That's certainly what I would've told him to do.



Yeah, it is possible that this was a "real" professor in a "real" classroom, staging an "unexpected" incident with a couple students' help (one to answer his phone, one to film the whole thing), although I'm a little skeptical that a prof would stage such a thing for the purpose of getting on youtube. Professors do occasionally arrange "incidents" in advance to make some kind of point or another, usually with the aid of a grad student posing as an undergrad in a large class where their previous nonpresence wouldn't be noted. I remember my American Gov prof at Rutgers staging one such scene (though we didn't know it was staged at the time) where a "student" rocketed up in mid-lecture and started ranting All this stuff about democracy and equality is a pack of lies, we've got people starving in the streets, migrant farmworkers treated like slaves, poor people can't get decent lawyers decent schools etc. etc., blah blah blah, which the professor then "gallantly" attempted to manage by engaging the student in dialogue ("Well OK...let's talk about this...what are some of your solutions? What do you think democracy should look like?" etc.) It certainly made quite the discussion piece, but it was also completely lame and self-serving, and unsurprisingly didn't have the effect of electrifying classroom discussion. I would never bother with staging an incident for whatever reason.

I don't go out to the movies much because I have hearing problems that make the sound system seem agonizingly loud and the dialogue difficult to make out, but I too would be highly annoyed if someone were using their cell in a movie theater, and would probably seriously consider complaining to one of the ushers about it.

 

[verte76]

The reason it's illegal in some states is because it's dangerous to drive while talking on a cell phone. Disrupting a class has a far less dangerous possible consequence than driving while talking on a cell phone.

Was the student rude? Yes, definitely. But that's his personal property. He should have been told to get out.

OK, it's his personal property. He should have been kicked out of the classroom.

 

[Maggie1]

The professor should have stepped on it and broke it in a million pieces.
The jerk should have known better than to start talking on a cell phone duing a lecture. People pay a lot of money to get educated and their education should not be interupted by some idiot and a cell phone. He should know better.

 

[Liesje]

Most of my profs mentioned mobile devices in their syllabi. The most strict prof made it known that a ringing cell phone became his property for the rest of the class and the student received an absence for the day (more than two = a reduction of one full letter grade per absence). A lot of profs had similar consequences, like a 0 mark for the day.

I'm happy that prof did that, but yeah he could get into trouble, unless his syllabus stated that that's what would happen. If I were him, I would've taken the phone for the rest of class and then given the kid a lower mark or something.

 

[Chizip]

dont become a monster to defeat the monster

most good professors have a cellphone policy like livluv has described, which is much more resonable than throwing a tantrum during class

 

[anitram]

Assume it wasn't fake.

He's completely out of line for destroying personal property. That's just as outrageous to me as the kid answering the phone. What's next? Dumping laptops on the floor because somebody is playing online poker?

Having said that, it's incredibly rude not to have your ringer off. Usually people are really embarrassed and turn the phone off right away. I've never seen anyone actually carrying on a conversation.

 

[melon]

It looks staged. The camera operator was a little overeager to point it at the "student with the phone."

Melon

 

[Golightly Grrl]

If this is real, I'd like to send the professor a fruit basket.

 

[MrsSpringsteen]

I love reading your posts

 

[Caroni]

Poor professors!! I totally understandthis one but I think he overreacted

 

[sue4u2]

I don't know... it seems there are some people who think a ringing cell phone overrides all etiquette - including professional.
I was actually going over the employee handbook about calling in before one is scheduled to clock in (if you are going to be late or absent) when said employee answered his cell phone and started to discuss what they needed for dinner.
I couldn't believe it, he actually put his finger up like "one moment".
I wrote him up for not coming in on time and cell phones on the floor violation. He went too far. But I would never destroy personal property. (I don't think)

 

[SpaceOddity]

Yeah, my vote goes for it being staged as well... Why would a person film their class in the first place? I've never seen that happen. Also, I agree with melon - the camera person immediately knew to film the cell phone guy.

However... if this is real... WOW. LOL. I've had a professor who started yelling at someone who didn't turn their ringer off, but never anything as dramatic as this video. I wonder why no one really gasped after he threw it on the floor... maybe it was just a stunned silence.

 

[A_Wanderer]

One of my lecturers in first year would take a phone of somebody march down the front and take a whomp at a phone with a geology hammer; it was a switch but it got a good response.

 

[speedracer]

Assume it wasn't fake.

He's completely out of line for destroying personal property. That's just as outrageous to me as the kid answering the phone. What's next? Dumping laptops on the floor because somebody is playing online poker?

Nah, I'd push his chips all-in with 72offsuit/fold the nuts on the river/etc.

Seriously though, if a cell phone goes off during my class I'll usually ignore it and keep talking. Typically the student will frantically try to shut it off. If it continues to be a problem (if it rings again, or if the student actually answers the call) I'd probably kick the student out of class. Fortunately, I've never had to do this. (FWIW, I teach mathematics at a large public university, and my classes have anywhere from 30 to 200 students.)

Taking punitive action of any sort (material or grade-wise) is unjustified. If the class grade has a participation component to it, I guess you could justify docking the student's grade on those grounds, but even then I would be hesitant to hurt a student's grade if his cell phone just went off once.

When I was a grad student, I went to a research seminar once where a prof in the audience had his phone go off. The presenter said "I've been teaching freshmen and sophomores for the last X years, and I've never had a cell phone go off in one of my classes." That was hilarious.

 

[Canadiens1131]

Oops, I guess it might be fake

 

[maycocksean]

I'm pretty sure it's fake too.

The camera operator clearly anticipates what's going to happen. Goes straight to the cell phone user, and even kind of jogs the camera back in the direction of the professor again seemingly anticipating what is going to happen next.

As already mentioned, the lack of response from the audience as well. No gasps of surprise or anything.

Also while it's possible that the professor would stay completely calm while doing that (I know I'm extraordinarily good at staying totally cool while dispensing disicipline), it seems unlikely that he wouldn't have said something as well. An act of violence like that, even if you're trying to stay cool, is going to show more than that.

Finally, I know there are young professors, but I'm guessing that some students set the whole thing up in an empty classroom and that the "professor" is a student as well.

If it were real, of course it would be completely unacceptable behavior on the part of the professor.

As to cell phones in the classroom. . .guess who has taken calls in the middle of class on more than one occasion Does the fact that I'm the teacher make it any better? I suspect not. .

 

[Liesje]

Taking punitive action of any sort (material or grade-wise) is unjustified. If the class grade has a participation component to it, I guess you could justify docking the student's grade on those grounds, but even then I would be hesitant to hurt a student's grade if his cell phone just went off once.

Most of my classes did have some punishment for cell phone use. However, our classes were mostly seminar, not lecture, and most of my professors did require attendance and had ways of grading for participation.

Cell phone policies are always clearly stated on the syllabus, so there's really no excuse. They're usually empty threats since the kids get scared and don't use them. I had one prof who told us on the first day that the first time a cell phone rang, you'd be asked to leave, the second time, you'd be docked a full letter grade, and the third time, the phone was his. The entire semester there was never a single incident of a phone ringing.

Laptops were not much of an issue because not many people used them in seminar classes. I usually had mine along because I used it between classes, and once in a while a prof would ask me to pull up some information relevant to the discussion, but generally there were not many students surfing the 'net during class unless they didn't care about getting docked for lack of participation.

None of these policies ever bothered me. If you can't remember something so simple as turning off your phone or putting it on vibrate, you probably have no business in these classes.