Ex-lecturer threatens to sue former students

[Dr. Strange]

A former Dartmouth College lecturer is threatening to sue as many as 14 of her former students for harassment. Priya Venkatesan, who left the college in March, said students in her freshman writing class disrespected her, complained about her to her boss and attacked the material she tried to teach.
...
"They were attacking thinkers that, even with my degrees, I would think twice about attacking," Venkatesan said. "I'm wondering why I was subjected to that behavior. . . . It was just a little disturbing that you'd get a student who'd come up to you after getting a reading assignment and say, 'So I underlined this. This is X, Y and Z why this statement is false.' . . . It consistently kept happening."
...

http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080501/FRONTPAGE/805010350

I wish I knew more about what really happened in this class, but on the surface, it sounds like these students were exhibiting some serious critical thinking skills.

[MrModerate]

1. I realize it's dangerous to speculate based on limited information . . .

But it looks like she was a terrible teacher and couldn't handle students who called her on her bullshit. Playing the victim card is always suspect.

[tritsofme]

2. So she was a crappy teacher and didn't like getting called out on it?

Maybe she should find another line of work.

[eShirl]

3. don't these college students know their job is to do the assignment and shut up?

[Turbineguy]

4. Being something of a teacher myself...

some students can really make demands on you. I had a couple of MIT Engineering types in my class recently....

[Downtown Hound]

5. Students these days can be bratty

but rarely do I find that they single out a teacher for harassment for no reason. It sounds to me like she was not doing her job well and the students didn't take it lying down. I've seen it happen before. There are students these days that really are self-absorbed and whiny, but I've never seen a case of a teacher getting ganged up on that didn't have some hand in causing it.

[LWolf]

13. It depends on what she was teaching.

I can easily see an organized campaign to target certain information as "false," regardless of the teacher.

She thought it was for racial reasons. I can see that, although I think it's less likely than for content.

The class she was teaching, one that integrated traditional topics:

"Science, Technology and Society"

It could be the quality of her teaching, or racial bias, or content. I don't think the article gives enough information to judge.

[Wickerman]

6. She's dropped the lawsuit

http://dartlog.net/2008/04/venkatesan-drops-lawsuit-plans.php

Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Venkatesan drops lawsuit plans--Nevermind

UPDATE 8:45pm: In further correspondence with the Review, Venkatesan has stated that she changed her mind and still plans on pursuing legal action against the College.

Earlier today, Review reporter Tyler Brace had a phone conversation with Priya Venkatesan, who informed us that she no longer planned to bring a lawsuit against the College. Venkatesan also confirmed that she is now a research assistant at Northwestern University.

[Beregond2]

7. That sounds

like a better place for her. Most teachers would kill to have students who actually thought about what they were reading and pointed out errors.

[Dr. Strange]

8. Okay...

some of the comments on that page are actually rather funny!

Headline: Northwestern Wildcats trade for Priya Venkatesan in exchange for a lawsuit to-be-named later....

[pansypoo53219]

9. i took a 'modern history' course at art school

50-80's. she gave us books to read for each decade. on the road by jack keroak i HATED. pointless i tells ya. but thomas wolf's acid test book i found unreadable. and i am reading a set of 1891 encyclo

[moggie]

10. Kiss of death for a teaching career

Who would want to take your class if they risked being sued? What college would hire you to teach?

[LeftishBrit]

11. Most lecturers would be delighted to have their students think critically about the material

It sounds as though this lecturer wants her students to respect her and her favourite scholars just Because I Say So.

And I have never previously heard of anyone beyond their early teens being punished by having to 'write an essay on respect' or the like.

She sounds pretty unsuited to university teaching.

[smoogatz]

12. Yep.

It can be a challenge sometimes for young, inexperienced teachers (especially women) to establish their authority in the classroom, but I'm pretty sure that if you end up antagonizing the entire class you've gone about it all wrong. Insisting that students agree with everything they read (and/or every pronouncement you make) is guaranteed to piss them off. It's important to challenge them, but if they sense that you're trying to indoctrinate them they'll rebel.