I had an interesting experience today. My son, who is in high school, told me that he had looked me up on RateMyProfessor.com.
I’m sure a worried look crossed my face, but I tried my best to retain my composure. Not a lot of students have commented about me and my classes there. But as is often the case, of the few who have done so, most were complaining about something.
Apparently RateMyProfessor.com had been mentioned on Reddit today, and anything that is featured prominently on Reddit, my son spots – almost but not quite always before I do.
As the conversation progressed, I found myself really impressed by his thoughts regarding the comments about my classes that he saw there.
One student had written, “I would advise not taking his class because he can’t keep the class discussion going.” Another complained, “He wasn’t good at stimulating conversation.” My son, despite being several years away from university, was astonished by the comments. How, he asked, can students have the audacity to blame the professor for something that is the responsibility of the students themselves?
A conversation that began with fear and trepidation on my part ended with a sense of satisfaction.
He had a favorite comment about me from the site, and it was this one:
Having been reminded about it, I am seriously tempted to make it my Facebook banner. I can live with being described as a jolly leprechaun – especially by someone who appreciates meaningful discussions about the spirituality and philosophy of science fiction, and who is capable of spelling leprechaun correctly to boot! 🙂
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In