Professor Bans College Students From Saying ‘Bless You’ In Class

[Harmony 2]

Please keep religious discussion off the thread... Several posts were removed because they were off topic and veering the thread off course. thanks

 

[Nova]

I couldn't disagree more with what you said. Every place you go is a place to create unity and make friends and foster good will and create connectedness. Maybe not during Jury selection, or in line outside a voting booth.

Everywhere else is an opportunity to make people feel connected, cared about, valued, etc. You just never know when the smallest act of kindness or graciousness, or acceptance, is going to make a huge impact on someone who is struggling. I think we as humans are called to that. Even in a place like a lecture hall on a college campus. I can't imagine thinking that a college class is no place to interact in a positive way.

I know all the words to "Kumbaya", too.

But what about graciousness and acceptance toward the professor? Interrupting him for the quixotic mission you describe sends a message loudly and clearly that HIS ideas are neither accepted nor received kindly by his students.

I think the person who spent hours preparing a lecture deserves more consideration than the person who accidentally sneezed.

 

[Nova]

<modsnip> quoted post

No. It's the teacher's pompous attitude that's being protested here. By his own admission, in his own words, "We are taught that it is polite to say &#8216;bless you&#8217; when someone sneezes. However, if you say this while I am talking, it is NOT polite, it is very rude!&#8221;

"We are taught that it is polite to say &#8216;bless you&#8217; when someone sneezes."

"However, if you say this while I am talking, it is NOT polite, it is very rude!&#8221;

It is also polite to ask about the health of my new baby, but not in the middle of my lecture on Horace's Ars Poetica.

 

[Nova]

Since we're not allowed to mention religion, I'll attribute the anger directed at this professor to traditional American anti-intellectualism. (The post claiming a student is better off with professors from mediocre colleges illustrates this perfectly.)

With American students sinking steadily in international measures of achievement, I don't think this is the time to privilege rote habits (like saying "Bless you") over the imparting of knowledge and the modeling of critical thinking.

(And to repeat, the principle here is the same to me whether the imprecation is "Bless you" or "God bless you". Neither offends me in an appropriate context.)

 

[Gypsy Road]

I went to two big universities. FSU and University of Florida, and never once in all my college years did a "Bless You" cause a ruckus or disruption in any of the lectures I attended, but hey....professors have their rules...quirky as some of them they may be! I had a couple of professors who had strange rules of conduct, but this one takes the cake!

 

[ontheclock]

Really? You said "bless you" to someone who sneezed and they gave you grief? I say God Bless You to anyone in public who sneezes, and no one ever in the history of about 50 years has ever given me grief. They usually look me in the eye and smile. They usually will actually turn around, and pause, and smile right at me.

Yes, I'm very serious. That person is still my boss. While he didn't give me much grief, he made it quite apparent that "bless you" (dare I even bring up God?) was unnecessary. His response really stunned me (it was an awkward silence). I always thought it was a thoughtful gesture before that moment.

Anywhoo, I'm glad you haven't experienced such weirdness. I'm just trying to live in a PC world. At home, it's anything goes, but at work, eh....

 

[BayouBelle_LA]

I know all the words to "Kumbaya", too.

But what about graciousness and acceptance toward the professor? Interrupting him for the quixotic mission you describe sends a message loudly and clearly that HIS ideas are neither accepted nor received kindly by his students.

I think the person who spent hours preparing a lecture deserves more consideration than the person who accidentally sneezed.

RBBM - If the professor sneezed, I would say "bless you".

 

[BayouBelle_LA]

Since we're not allowed to mention religion, I'll attribute the anger directed at this professor to traditional American anti-intellectualism. (The post claiming a student is better off with professors from mediocre colleges illustrates this perfectly.)

With American students sinking steadily in international measures of achievement, I don't think this is the time to privilege rote habits (like saying "Bless you") over the imparting of knowledge and the modeling of critical thinking.

(And to repeat, the principle here is the same to me whether the imprecation is "Bless you" or "God bless you". Neither offends me in an appropriate context.)

The professor's inability to adapt to a simple "bless you" , I will attribute to "professor values".

 

[ontheclock]

I went to two big universities. FSU and University of Florida, and never once in all my college years did a "Bless You" cause a ruckus or disruption in any of the lectures I attended, but hey....professors have their rules...quirky as some of them they may be! I had a couple of professors who had strange rules of conduct, but this one takes the cake!

I had a professor that prohibited any smoking around homework that was to be handed in. Sorry O/T.

Ha! This would make an interesting thread.

 

[Nova]

I went to two big universities. FSU and University of Florida, and never once in all my college years did a "Bless You" cause a ruckus or disruption in any of the lectures I attended, but hey....professors have their rules...quirky as some of them they may be! I had a couple of professors who had strange rules of conduct, but this one takes the cake!

Hasn't it occurred to anyone that this professor's rules may stem from his personal experience?

As for what is disruptive, a quiet "bless you" in a class of 300 probably isn't disruptive. But a chorus of "bless yous" in a class of 60 to 100 is quite another matter. If one isn't bothered, that's fine; but it doesn't speak to whether the instructor and other students are bothered.

I repeat that TO ME, a chorus of "bless yous" just as I was trying to articulate a difficult concept to college freshmen and women was very disruptive indeed. Apparently, the biology professor in question has had the same experience.

 

[Linda7NJ]

Has anyone, ever in their lives, been in a situation where blessyous after sneezes caused an actual interruption? If that IS the case, say in an area with a lot of mildew or ragweed and there is an awful lot of sneezing going on, and the class decides it's clever to keep saying Bless You like the Waltons say "good night" to everyone at the end of the day, it can be dealt with.

It's highly unlikely that this professor actually was experiencing disruption during class from "bless yous" but rather, it is a continuation of the tearing down of traditional Christian and middle class values in America, and students have sat there and taken it before out of fear. "God's Not Dead" is kind of a poorly done movie, a little trite and cliche, but the point is a good one. You don't have to sit there in your chair and parrot back what a professor tells you to if it goes against your belief system.

Biting my lip...HARD


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[Linda7NJ]

As reported, the professor said nothing about noise from students who were ill. It was the unnecessary response by others that he addressed.

The Americans with Disabilities Act is pretty clear: in any of my classes, allowance would have been made for your son's challenges. Though personally I think people who have to say "bless you" every time somebody sneezes are probably challenged in some regard, I don't believe the law recognizes them as requiring protection.

I went through college with the attitude you describe: I went to class or didn't, did the home work or didn't, and took the grade I got without complaint. But a lot has changed since I was an undergrad. I don't know how old you are, but I suspect things have changed since you were one, too.

I just have to jump in here and must applaud you. A professor that cares that his students actually LEARN... Kudos!

Personally, I take "rate my professor" with a grain of salt. Too often ratings are on based on ease of receiving a good grade with doing the least amount of work possible. Really?

That's NOT what *I* paid for....that's not why *I* was there. I actually wanted to learn....


Shocking...I know





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[Linda7NJ]

I certainly appreciate the honest answer to my repeated question. But interrupting a speaker to say "Merry Christmas" is just as rude, though I seriously doubt you would do that. As for my classroom, students said whatever they liked as they left for a holiday. Why would I care?

I don't know where you work, but Fox News notwithstanding, I hear "Merry Christmas" at all sorts of businesses every year, even though I am not personally a Christian. (FTR, nor am I offended. I appreciate the sentiment and Muslims are just as welcome to wish me a Happy Ramadan. "Have a happy holiday" seems to cover all the bases, however.)

I'm An atheist and say Merry Christmas all the time!
It's the time of year I celebrate commercialism and family ....and of course Santa Clause!




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[Nova]

I'm An atheist and say Merry Christmas all the time!
It's the time of year I celebrate commercialism and family ....and of course Santa Clause!




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I'm a "cultural" Christian (i.e., I was raised and follow the secular traditions) and I also say "Merry Christmas" to those I know who are Christians. But 4 out of 10 Americans no longer identify as "Christian". That's approaching half. I can understand why an employer wants his customers greeted with something more inclusive of other traditions.

As I said above, I don't care for myself. I'm fine with everyone wishing me well on whatever holidays they celebrate. But the prohibitions are largely the result of capitalism, not a war on any sect.

 

[Nova]

I just have to jump in here and must applaud you. A professor that cares that his students actually LEARN... Kudos!

Personally, I take "rate my professor" with a grain of salt. Too often ratings are on based on ease of receiving a good grade with doing the least amount of work possible. Really?

That's NOT what *I* paid for....that's not why *I* was there. I actually wanted to learn....


Shocking...I know





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Thank you, Linda. You and I seem to be among the few in this thread who are concerned that the primary purpose of a classroom is learning.

I must admit it hurt more than a little to be told here that I must have been incapable of maintaining order in my classes. (In fact, I was known for handling even the most difficult students with aplomb. I never reported a student to the administration nor reduced a student's grade over in-class deportment. I never found it necessary.)

(Side note: I was retiring about the time ratemyprofessor became popular and thank goodness! (I have about 4 reviews there and all are relatively positive.) I used to find student evaluations haunting. I didn't get many negative evals, but all of the few I got could have been rectified with a simple discussion with the student. I understand kids are worried about reprisals, but that would be my last inclination if a student were having a problem with me or my class.)

 

[TrackerSam]

It's over, as saner minds have prevailed. The ban has been lifted. 'Nuff said.

 

[Tricia]

Good Morning,

Please remember we do not allow bashing of religion/belief in God on Websleuths.

This thread is a touchy subject, but the only way the discussion will be allowed to continue is if people respect each other's beliefs.

Thank you,
Tricia

 

[JeannaT]

I just have to jump in here and must applaud you. A professor that cares that his students actually LEARN... Kudos!

Personally, I take "rate my professor" with a grain of salt. Too often ratings are on based on ease of receiving a good grade with doing the least amount of work possible. Really?

That's NOT what *I* paid for....that's not why *I* was there. I actually wanted to learn....


Shocking...I know





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I don't mean to drag this thread off-topic, but I think rate my professor is one of the best improvements in college education I've seen in the last generation. In my experience, the ratings are VERY fair, and if you read the ones that include explanations, they are very helpful. Some teachers have such thick accents they can't be understood; or you get an easy A but you won't learn Spanish and won't be prepared to go on to the next class; or the syllabus is extremely clear and the test reviews are extremely helpful so don't fudge them; the professor never shows up so you're at the mercy of an as yet assigned TA.

If I were a college dean I'd keep up with Rate My Professor as a way of getting the pulse on what's going on with the professors/TA's. In sitting with my kids planning schedules, I've also seen that professors change and improve over the years; if they get a specific complaint that's valid, you'll see that complaint doesn't appear in more recent reviews.

Win-win. The one complaint I have is I'm not sure anyone needs to know if a prof is "hot". :/

 

[oh_gal]

ONE sneeze. SEVENTEEN "I bless yous" (which are not uttered simultaneously; one person gives his neighbor the idea and so forth). Followed, in my experience, by giggling when everyone realizes how silly this all is. All of this in a large room where students have to raise their voices to be heard over someone who is speaking. Is this clear now?

My goodness...were these 2nd graders, or just students not emotionally mature enough for college?

Perhaps a rule, stated at the beginning of the year, "In the event someone sneezes, 3 separate utterances of "God Bless You," will be tolerated. For each person uttering it thereafter, the grade of your next assignment will be dropped by one letter grade." But to just tell people, "No, you may not utter a perfectly benign phrase of manners in my class," seems rather....unconstitutional.

Sigh. Well, now that I've solved this particular problem, I think I'll turn my attention to restoring world peace.

 

[JeannaT]

My goodness...were these 2nd graders, or just students not emotionally mature enough for college?

Perhaps a rule, stated at the beginning of the year, "In the event someone sneezes, 3 separate utterances of "God Bless You," will be tolerated. For each person uttering it thereafter, the grade of your next assignment will be dropped by one letter grade." But to just tell people, "No, you may not utter a perfectly benign phrase of manners in my class," seems rather....unconstitutional.

Sigh. Well, now that I've solved this particular problem, I think I'll turn my attention to restoring world peace.

I wouldn't even go there, in the rules mentioning how many bless yous would be tolerated. I think almost all of us in this thread have never ever seen an incident in a classroom of adults where blessyous were a problem, so I don't think inviting this obscure problem into the classroom is appropriate. I think if a classroom deteriorates into this kind of silliness, the instructor might want to ask a colleague to come in and give pointers on how to create and maintain a formal classroom setting.

Since this problem is SO rare, I don't think it needs to be addressed formally. A simple statement at the beginning of the class about class covenants - only one person talking at a time, please raise your hand, late comers please arrive quietly in the back and sit back there, we all need to be able to hear and see the lecture. ;D Looking forward to a wonderful and rewarding semester.