Call in a bomb threat?

It is supposed to be a fairly practical, "here's how you do this type of counseling" course. For the entire semester, we have wasted our actual class time giving book reports on a book we were supposed to have already read for the first class (we're now five weeks into the semester). Which means there hasn't been time to actually talk about, let alone practice, any of the techniques we're supposed to be learning from the other readings.

Which she's told us we're just supposed to "review on our own."

One of the requirements for the course is having ourselves videotaped doing a 20min. counseling session role play. Three students, including me, did the videotaping yesterday. It was intense, and exhausting, because you're trying to either talk about your own problems or help someone else with theirs while 10 other people watch you.

Today she sends an email around saying that she doesn't think we've done a good job of incorporating the techniques we've supposed to have been learning, and maybe we should redo? What does everyone think?

I think I want to pound my skull into a wall for a while, really. Thanks for asking.

Instead of a wall, pound your skull into hers for a while?

I'm sorry I don't have anything constructive to say. That's a frustrating situation. Having a teacher who can't really teach is like going to a show and seeing a band who can't play their instruments.

My answer would probably be, "No do-overs; just grade me and let me move on." But then I'd end up with a failing grade and have to take the same class over again, and wind up calling in bomb threats every other day.

The thing is, I don't think we're actually getting graded on the session itself, but instead on a paper we have to write about the session. And I can totally pull the theories into the paper, even if they weren't explicitly part of the session.

But this woman is so passive-aggressive and petty and weird that I worry that if I don't redo the thing, she'll hold a grudge.

Ugh. SCREAM.

Maybe set up a meeting with her dept head to discuss what has and has not happened this semester vs. what needs to happen this semester. Include her in the meeting.

The completely disorganized professor ...just emailed the class, basically asking us if we all wanted to totally redo the two and a half hours of class that we had yesterday.

Remember in school, when you'd be whispering in the back of the class, and the teacher would ask, "Ladies, how about you stop whispering?" Strikes me as the same sort of question. Now that she's brought it up, I'm not sure you can refuse. Which sucks. I think you could ask what the point of redoing it would be, and ways in which it could be improved upon the second time. And I agree with fbk that you should take your concerns to a higher-up, too.

Maybe instead of a redo, could you suggest she play the videos and give constructive criticism?

It doesn't get you out of another meeting, but it may save the class from the torture of retaping.

I was going to say the same thing as fluffy battle kitten. But first, I'd sit down with the professor one-on-one, outside class time.

"I'm really disappointed that I couldn't correctly apply the techniques we've been studying in class. I think I speak for all of the students when I say that we're trying our very best to incorporate our readings into these sessions. However, in my case, I'm struggling to figure all these techniques out on my own, outside of class time. I was under the impression that we'd be doing a lot more hands-on examples during class, rather than [insert a positive spin on whatever you have been wasting your time on]."

That'll hopefully open a dialogue that doesn't necessarily put the professor on the defensive.

For the training sessions, I think you're going to have to put up with them, and blatantly do work from other classes. At least, that's what I'd do.

Argh. This sounds excruciating.

Trying to change anything about how this person teaches is probably a lost cause.

Did you do the taping during class time? If not -- assuming you had to get together with the other two participants and set up outside time for the session -- here's what I think I'd do. I'd begin with an approach somewhat like muddgirl's, but I wouldn't mention the way the existing class time is structured. I'd simply explain that given the crazy exigencies of everyone's schedule, a second session probably isn't realistic for the group. Then I'd probe a little to see exactly how she thinks you all didn't incorporate the appropriate principles, nod, pretend to think really really hard for a moment, and then lightbulb! propose that your paper include a very specific section on that problem, outlining suggestions for improvement.

I don't think anything involving department heads and so on is a good idea. It's a short program, sounds like you're stressed to capacity, and that kind of confrontation probably isn't what you need right now. Maybe write up a short assessment of the program at the end, once you're out.

Or there's always that bomb threat Hugh suggested.

asking us if we all wanted to totally redo the two and a half hours of class that we had yesterday.

The answer to that, simply, is no.

Really, what if you just email back telling her what you've told us (minus the nail-pounding): that you feel you understand the material, that you have other commitments as you're sure she understands, and that you cannot repeat the session at X time.

I also just wrote a (not surprisingly, given that it's me) loooooong answer to your AskMe about a similar situation I resolved.

She doesn't actually want us to meet outside class, she just wants us to spend another class period redoing the last class period.

We're already a week behind the syllabus. This would put us two weeks behind the syllabus. Not that we're really discussing anything that's actually on the syllabus anyway.

I'm so disappointed in this class. Another professor, who I love, was originally supposed to teach it, and she got switched at the last moment, and we've just been stuck with this woman who seems to have no teaching skills at all, and who treats us like we're complete idiots during class but expects us to somehow assimilate all the reading outside of class. It's some sort of teaching twilight zone in there, and all the students I've talked to about it are totally fed up.

I really like muddgirl's phrasing, and I think I may just copy and paste most of it, along with a quick exploration of my feelings of confusion and frustration. One definite advantage to having therapists as professors -- they often pay some measure of attention to how students are feeling :-)

I would also suggest talking to a department head or higher-up. I had a professor early in my college career who was equally incompetent, horrible at managing time, etc. etc. This was for a graphics class, so we were working in Photoshop and whatnot. The woman barely knew how to save a file, came in half-an-hour late (and kept us late as well), wanted extra sessions since time was not well-used, had lab sessions that consisted entirely of giving us a packet of step-by-step instructions and then walking through the instructions excruciatingly slowly, etc.

At one point one of the other profs (not the head, but a person with some degree of influence) took me aside and asked me what was going on with this professor's class (I was friendly with most of the profs and worked in the labs, etc.; basically was very integrated into the department community) and I laid it all out for her. She took it up to the Chair (without mentioning me specifically, although I suspect he had at least a clue about where it came from) and the prof in question was (since she was an associate and not tenured) not asked to return the next semester.

Doesn't solve the immediate problem, but the department should know that there are issues with this person's teaching abilities. I might bring it up with the prof herself first, as that could result in positive changes for THIS semester, but the department needs to know. It reflects poorly on them to have this individual there.

Just my 2c. In considering my opinion, you should keep in mind that I am not always the most diplomatic person on the planet, and also that I have a painfully low tolerance for and painfully violent reaction towards incompetence and time-wasting.

OK. Email response sent. Thank you all so much.

As for bringing it up with the head of the department... the head of the department was actually supposed to be the one teaching this course originally, but she's on sabbatical this year (which is why I assume there was such a scramble for professors). My teacher doesn't even actually teach on this campus; they "imported" her special just for us (ain't we lucky).

I do at some point want to register my strong displeasure about this class, but I'm not sure who to register it with.

Well, the email seems to have gone over ok.

Tangerine, she loved your idea of adding another section to my paper rather than retaping. Woo!

Muddgirl, I'm going to have you follow me around so that you can script all of my "I'm totally frustrated and fed up and I want to kill you but I have to be nice!" conversations for me.

:) I'm glad I could help. I learned everything I know from my dear ol' mum - the queen of "I'm not happy, but I'll pretend like it's not your fault so that you're more inclined to help me!"

Oh, good lord. Now she's claiming that her teaching style is a tactical choice to empower her students, forcing them to take control of their own learning.

Even with ten years of working in Marketing, I would *never* have been able to spin that so positively. My word.

She's sucking over there, so you don't have to suck over here. Mission accomplished!

Woo hoo! Muddgirl for the win!

And yeesh, that instructor displays an awesome skillset in blameshifting. Wow.

Now she's claiming that her teaching style is a tactical choice to empower her students, forcing them to take control of their own learning.

Oh good lord this is complete bullshit! (sorry I'm late to the party here). It's incompetence and it's the same bullshit line that the health care industry uses ("Take Care of yourself because we sure the fuck won't do it.") I'd go over her head and demand answers and/or action. Jesus Christ on a crutch these type of people piss me off.

Suck it up, do as she says, and never take another class from her. The department chair knows exactly what is going on and has long since given up.

Don't do this on your own. If there are several of you unhappy, group up and then see the supervisor. Or alternatively, having read the thread, each of you go and say what Muddgirl has to say. A gang apart.

Thanks, all. Advice and support has helped a great deal.

And "Jesus Christ on a crutch" is my favorite phrase of the day!