Leaked footage of a professor at Cornell losing his temper over a student's yawning has recently gone viral, drawing attention to the sometimes excessive reactions professors have to students' misbehavior.
Students should be expected to show a high level of respect for professors. However, we think the Cornell professor undoubtedly overreacted by interrupting class to single out the yawner.
The vast majority of professors here conduct themselves with a high level of professionalism. But, unfortunately, the professor in the video is not as much of an anomaly as we would hope. We have heard several stories of professors here at Brown that are not quite as sensational but are still very troublesome.
There's a professor who was so upset about students showing up late to class that he started blocking the entrance to the lecture room with a table to prevent them from coming in late. This kind of behavior is overkill. For starters, it's a fire hazard to physically prevent students from entering and exiting a room. But it's also counterproductive given that it's more disruptive for a student to climb under a table than to slip in quietly. This is an extreme example of an overreaction, but it is by no means the only one.
We've heard of professors who e-mail or call students demanding explanations for missing class. Then there are professors who yell at students in class for reading the paper or using their computers. We've even seen professors stop class and interrogate a student about why he or she was unprepared.
Sometimes students are being truly disruptive, and, in these cases, it's OK to ask them to stop. However, many times, students aren't distracting anyone but themselves, and the professor's outburst only serves to draw everyone's attention away from the actual lecture.
Professors must realize it's not a personal insult when students don't pay attention. Students often have extracurricular commitments and may not always be present in class. When it comes to tardiness, students may occasionally have no choice if a previous class ended late. Most students aren't regularly disrespectful, and singling them out or drawing attention to a single mishap is not productive for anyone. If there is a persistent problem, we agree that professors should ask students to be respectful. But even then, there are tactful ways of explaining the expectations in a class without becoming a YouTube sensation.
To be fair, students are certainly not always the innocent victims here. While we expect professors to behave rationally and professionally, students need to be aware of how their actions in class affect others, including the professor. It's fine if someone doesn't want to pay attention, as long as he or she is careful not to be disruptive to other students. We realize that this is often not the case, as we have seen instances where students laugh audibly over games or YouTube videos during lecture. This kind of behavior is disrespectful, and we think professors have the right to ask students to stop.
Students and professors both need to show each other a certain level of respect. We hope we never have to see a professor from Brown featured on the Huffington Post for something like this.
Editorials are written by The Herald's editorial page board. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
