Pissy Situation

Weird trend I’m noticing this semester: students following me into the restroom to discuss items usually entertained during office hours. Perhaps I should do like the Fonz and declare the restroom my office. I could hold all my office hours in the restroom. This would make me much less accessible to male students, of course, so the plan isn’t perfect. I'd have to put in many work orders to have my computer, books, and files moved, too. But, I'm considering it.

Seriously, I’ve been followed into the restroom by a student who wants to talk to me at least once a week this semester. This past week, I had to tell a student who wanted to ask me questions about an assignment while I peed to please leave me alone. I was polite at first, but she just didn’t get the message. I finally had to say, “It’s very difficult for me to really pay attention to what you’re saying while I’m on the toilet.” She apologized, but not nearly as profusely as I would have if I had been the student.

Maybe my inability to multitask successfully is the real problem here. Maybe other faculty can easily urinate and entertain student questions simultaneously. But not me.

tags: teaching  

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