One year can make a huge difference

[u/Plane-Balance24]

Teaching an advanced undergraduate class for the second time (first time I taught it was last year).

I had a fantastic time last year. The students were so full of energy, intellectually curious and asking all the right questions. Every class was full of banter and laughter and I woke up each day looking forward to going to this class. I'm still on good terms with my students from last semester and some of them are sitting in on my graduate level course etc. All in all one of the most positive teaching experience I've ever had in my career.

This year it's the complete opposite. I might as well be lecturing to the wall because the students have nothing but dull looks in their eyes, all they care about is whether the material would be on the exam, and less than half of them show up to my class. It's being taught at exactly the same time as last year but since the students have no energy or motivation or intellectual curiosity, I have managed to cover maybe 60% of what I covered last year and I can feel that they're struggling with that already. At this point after struggling with them for like 3 months I've finally given up and I'm just teaching them the bare minimum that needs to be taught.

This is an honors level class that should have the best students in the year so I'm disappointed. Last year (and all the years before that) the honors students were very independent and fun to talk to as scholars but this year the only times they talk to me are 1. To request an extension on their homework because they're "sick" (when I ask for a doctor's note they all stop talking to me) 2. To ask for a detailed list of topics and practice exams (I've never done this even for my non-honors classes, this is just not done in my field). In addition I'm pretty sure that they cheated on all my exams because during 50 minutes so many people went to the bathroom. The latest exam, I asked them to leave their phone on my desk if they were going to the bathroom and no one went lol.

The straw that broke the camel's back was an email from a student that asked whether he could be granted some leniency because he did the homework but forgot to submit it (the homework was already graded and returned). I actually started hating teaching this class and the students in it, which is surprising because it's one of my favorite subjects and normally I get along really well with my students (like many of them keep in touch after they have graduated). Maybe they're the "covid generation" that had a very different school experience in the past but thinking about them depresses me so much and I can't wait until the semester is over. I'm already dreading declining to write recommendation letters for them because I don't have much to say even for the "best" students in the class.

Thanks for listening to my rant...

[u/No_Intention_3565]

Been there, done that, could write a book about it.

Even to the point of this happening to me in the SAME semester.

Same course, same material, same instructor (me!) But taught on different days.

MW course 1

TThr identical course 2, different students.

MW - horrible

TTHr - wonderful

Why?

The students with the loudest strongest personalities complained and were infectious on MW.

On TTHr, vice versa. The loudest students with the strongest personalities were enjoying the class. Their joy and enthusiam spread.

It wasn't me.  It was them.

It isn't you. It is them.

[u/RealisticSuccess8375 → u/No_Intention_3565]

I regret that I can only upvote this once.

[u/SheepherderRare1420 → u/RealisticSuccess8375]

Consider this another upvote, because absolutely this... It's them. I'm in year 7 of teaching now, and I have run the gamut from highly motivated, high level students to barely there, pulling teeth to get things done.

It's absolutely them. You'll have a different experience next time, try not to let this semester bring you down.

[u/VicDough → u/No_Intention_3565]

100%!! There is no rhyme or reason as to why this happens. My “bad” class is at 1pm, all junior/seniors. My “good” class is at 4pm, mostly freshmen. I stopped trying to predict what class was gonna be good or bad years ago.

[u/galileosmiddlefinger → u/No_Intention_3565]

The students with the loudest strongest personalities complained and were infectious

Also, all of this is far more volatile when you have smaller sections. Just a couple of outspoken, disgruntled personalities can poison a < 30 class. Big lecture sections, for all of their other faults, are more consistent because the Law of Large Numbers keeps things on an even keel.

[u/FrancinetheP → u/galileosmiddlefinger]

I am astounded how few of my humanities colleagues understand/believe this. These are folks who are happy that enrollment is dropping like a stone bc it means less grading. Days when I’m “off” in a big class, the students carry it with their energy. In a small seminar? Everyone sinks.

[u/Huck68finn → u/No_Intention_3565]

Same thing happening to me this semester 

[u/Moonstonemuse → u/No_Intention_3565]

It might not be our fault that the students we're getting right now are different, but it IS our responsibility to adjust and teach at the top of our game so they learn anyways. There are small things one can do in a classroom to help improve engagement and motivation in a class.

I think it's too easy to get bogged down in the mindset "It's not me, it's them", and I'm going to argue that we need to be thinking "My students have changed, so I have to adapt the way I teach."

I'm not arguing in favor of less rigor. I'm not arguing in favor of big overhaul changes. If the last couple of semesters have taught me anything, I can reengage and re-hook my students, I can help them learn the content at a rigorous level, through targeted and small changes in my teaching.

My class, my teaching, my responsibility.

[u/whatchawhy]

I had this happen to me, except it was back to back classes. Same class, one at 11 and the other at 12. One class had tons of questions, opinions, etc. and the class average on exams were a B. Thought the class must be too easy. The class right after didn't care. Class average on exams were a D+. Literally the exact same tests.

[u/pinkocommieliberal]

Sometimes it’s class dynamics, sometimes it’s the time of day, sometimes it’s the physical layout of the room. Adjust as you can, but some of this is out of your hands.

[u/tochangetheprophecy]

That's interesting there's such a difference in just one year.  The rise of AI maybe? 

[u/Horror_Fish778]

You are not alone. I’m so ready to retire.