Re: [TechRhet] talking to students

[Cindy Wambeam <cwambeam@wsu.edu>]

I don't want to rehash gossip and use my class as some sort of venting
session, but ignoring the situation seems odd and rather useless.

Part of my solution is going to be asking the students -- are they 
tired of talking endlessly about this in class?  do they want more 
time to deconstruct events?  In my on-line class, some students have 
asked me to move back deadlines so they've got a few days to recover 
before returning to writing -- I've willingly done this.  I guess 
that my key comment here is "ask your students  before you decide 
what to do, and give them an opportunity to opt out."

As someone who's gone through a few traumatic events that have 
affected students, I'm very divided.  I know that people want to talk 
about things.  I also know that for some the events are incredibly 
personal and devestating, and they won't want to discuss them with a 
bunch of strangers in class.  When I was a younger student, a friend 
of my family committed suicide -- I, and others, felt as if we were 
being forced into a bunch of hand-holding, "it's okay to cry" class 
sessions.  We resented the hell out of being forced to do that by a 
bunch of people who didn't even know the person who died.  On the 
other hand, when I was a grad student, a TA in my program tortured 
and attempted to murder one of his students -- department members 
were initially encouraged to talk...and then, for legal reasons, we 
were told not to say anything and to try to keep the "chatter and 
rumors" out of the hallways.  The resulting quiet was distressing and 
difficult for many of us.

Of course, sometimes it is okay to cry.  I was teaching a class on 
Women's Studies when the country found out about the murder of 
Matthew Shepherd.  I was no longer in Wyoming (was in New Mexico at 
that time), but my students knew that I was originally from Laramie 
-- and they asked me about it first thing when class began.  I told 
them what I knew, who I knew,  and about my own previous involvement 
with Gay & Lesbian Organizations in Laramie.  The class turned toward 
how attacks on the gay/lesbian community has affected them 
personally, and, ultimately, why it was so important for them 
participate in community outreach efforts as well as study gender 
issues.  It was a draining class period, but one of the most 
important discussions I've ever had with a class.  What made is 
successful was their own desire to talk, their need to review what 
happened, and their strength in working through emotions together.

Why do I bring these things up?  Well, first, I think it's very 
important that we give students the opportunity to leave our class if 
they really don't want to participate -- they may have a missing 
family member, for instance, and they don't want to revisit the 
tragedy over and over.  I also think it's important to ask your 
students what they'd like to do -- it's possible that other 
professors are not allowing any discussion, and the students need 
some time to rationally review the events.  We must remember that we 
are not trained counselors (at least, not most of us).  We also need 
to make sure that if we have a student who seems quite traumatized, 
we can help them to find the counseling center and receive some help.

WSU did not cancel classes yesterday, and I wish they had.  Students 
were grim, shocked, and none of us could focus on the seemingly 
trivial tasks at hand.  Two of my students asked if they could stay 
after in the class and turn on the TV (in the multimedia lab) to 
watch CNN.  They'd not been allowed to do so in any of their other 
classrooms, and neither of them had cable at home.  I gladly let them 
do this.

Today, in a class I teach on Ethics, I'm going to ask if it's okay to 
discuss the attacks and/or if they'd mind talking about a peripheral 
issue -- privacy in communication vs. government control/security. 
If my students are tired of conversations about this, we will proceed 
with things already scheduled.  I am moving back deadlines for 
projects by a few days, since I doubt that people will be able to 
successfully concentrate and write, and since...well...I guess out of 
respect for the tragedy.

What are other people doing?

cindy

-- 
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Cindy Wambeam                                   cwambeam@wsu.edu
English Department                  http://www.wsu.edu/~cwambeam
Washington State University, Pullman
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Audiences expand the mythologies of a creator's world.  (M. Groening)