Samuel E. Matteson
Physics
University of North Texas,


[August 29, 2010]—




I stared at the student comment I held in my hand and scratched my head with the other.

“This professor is a ROFLcopter,” it read.

I wondered what this obscure expression meant until I researched it on-line and found that a “ROFLcopter” is a text-speak superlative for someone who makes you laugh, as in “Rolling-On-Floor-Laughing-copter.” I was relieved by the interpretation, but the experience of reading a particular something that I did not understand jarred me and then inspired me to meditate on how I should appropriately respond to student comments in general.

Student end-of-course evaluations are a ubiquitous and often painful experience for instructors—at least, they have been so for me. While there are welcome comments like, “This professor really knows his stuff,” other comments demand a thick skin because they seem unfair or unjustified, like “This professor is LAZY, and that is probably why I got such a low grade,” a comment that stung, even if it were untrue.

What should I, a Christ-follower, do with comments like these?

I confess that I am tempted to totally disregard the students’ expressions of discontent with the outcome of my efforts as just so much whining of immature children who are projecting their failings onto another.

In the past I have always winced a little when I saw the envelope appear in my mailbox. The reason? My pride and what my colleagues will think of me and what effect the anonymous critics’ opinion would have on my performance evaluation.

In other words, as I said earlier, “my pride.” Humility does not come easily to our kind in academic circles. But, lately, I have had something of an epiphany in regard to student evaluations.

Evaluation Epiphany

What I realized was that the written comments students turn in at the end of a course are a window into their hearts, a window that is left unshuttered because of the anonymity of their remarks. I have decided that—painful though it may be—I will mine the comments for constructive criticism of my instructional practice that I can use to become a better teacher, because I believe God will be honored by my best efforts.

Like a heater that runs without regard to the signal from a thermostat, an instructor who ignores feedback can leave the class either sullenly cold or feverish with frustration. Feedback can produce improvement in practice if part of my practice is reflective self assessment.

But what to do with the unfair or misplaced criticism? I have realized that while I may be the target of a student’s ire and not actually the cause of it, his expression always points to a disappointment that is real, nevertheless. And although I do not know the person by name, God does. Therefore, I have resolved to pray for this hurting student who seems to project his rage onto our relationship and my professional practice.

I pray that he will discover the true source of his lack of success and learn the self discipline he needs to succeed. I pray also that I will be a helpful guide to him and his peers, wise and skillful in the ways of teaching and of living, and I pray that my teaching and my living will point them to Christ.

Thus, whether I am a ROFL-copter or a LAZY slug in the eyes of my students, the Lord can redeem my efforts. I know that He is building me into a better version of me, a “Doc” 2.0.

I suppose that I should wear a button: “BPWMSGINTWOMY,” that is, “Be-patient-with-me- since-God-is-not-through-working-on-me-yet.”

In the meantime, by God’s grace I will honor him by loving and serving my students, His children, no matter what they say.

© 2010 Samuel E. Matteson