Tuesday, April 26, 2011

AWOL TAs

Several times in recent months, academic persons at different institutions have described completely unrelated problems with different graduate students who failed to secure a substitute to teach their labs/recitations/discussion sections/etc. when they had be away for anticipated travel.

I have written before about when professors need to miss class (e.g., owing to conference travel) and what we typically do to deal with anticipated absences. My focus today is on graduate students. Some of the issues are similar (the general need to balance teaching and research responsibilities), but some are unique to teaching assistants.

Example: If a grad student needs a substitute for a lab, which may be 2-3 hours in duration, the stakes are a bit higher and the options more limited than when a professor needs a substitute for a 50-minute lecture. The professor could show a highly relevant and entertaining movie, give an exam, or even cancel one class, but these options would not be feasible or advisable for a lab.

Grad students for centuries have routinely traded lab-substituting duties to help each other. It's the obvious thing to do, and if you plan enough in advance, you can work something out.

However, problems arise when a to-be-absent TA doesn't plan in advance and then expects someone to help them out with their self-inflicted emergency. Most grad students are responsible about these situations, and problems are rare. Nevertheless, I have seen the best-if-avoided following scenarios:

- The absent TA makes a last-minute plea to other TAs for help. Some TAs seem to think that it is better if this desperate plea is made afar (e.g., from the conference site) so that their friends can't kill them immediately, but this method will likely result in much anger from peers and professors.

- The absent TA expects the instructor of the class to find a substitute for them. The instructor may be interested in being part of the substitute-finding process (to ensure that the lab will be well taught) and ultimately is the person responsible for the class as a whole, but it's a bad idea for a TA to assume that the instructor will find a substitute for them.

- The absent TA does not find a substitute and the course instructor is reluctant to take this responsibility, so the job of finding a substitute falls to the TA's grad advisor, who does not think it is their responsibility, and passes it back to the TA. That results in a protracted process involving lots of cranky people.

Not long ago, I was thinking about an ancient incident involving TA-substitution issues when I was a grad student. I was reminded of this because I was invited to give a talk at another university -- a university where a fellow TA from my grad school days is now an esteemed senior professor. One term when we were TAs for the same class, we each planned to go to a (different) conference, so we arranged to substitute for each other.

Or so I thought. I taught his lab for him, and he then refused to teach my lab, although he had no schedule or other conflict with the lab time. His reason for not teaching my lab: "I may have implied that I would teach your lab for you but I never promised I would teach your lab for you." Me: "Then why did you think I taught your lab for you?" Shrug. It was my problem, not his.

More than twenty years later, I examined my soul. Had I forgiven him? No, not really.

I don't mean that, decades later, I obsess over his refusing to teach a lab for me after I had taught his lab for him, and it is important to note that this event was not an isolated example of his jerkiness. That is, I am not overlooking abundant examples in which he was actually a thoughtful and pleasant person. He was consistently a jerk. To everyone.

So now, eons later, I was curious to see what his grad students think of him. Are they psychologically damaged by their interactions with him, or did he somehow mature when in a position of responsibility and learn to treat people with respect? What happens to someone who routinely shirked their responsibility as a grad student? Do they become a shirker professor?

Well, in this case, I'd reluctantly say that the results are rather more positive than negative. People (including his students) don't hate him; most even seem to like him. Some of the characteristics that annoyed his peer grad students are seen by his students and others as harmless eccentricities of a professor. He is clearly a jerk in some ways - he still has a tendency to patronize and condescend to colleagues and students alike, for example -- but overall he functions well as a teacher and advisor, and has even won awards.

That's nice. Although I will never like this individual, I like knowing that there is a possibility for personal growth after grad school.

20 comments:

Anonymous said...

I know of a professor who was extremely rude to me and a few other students. So I assumed that this is just the way he behaved with everyone. However, I later realized this gentleman was extremely nice to his students.

So, my guess is that "jerk-ness" is a function of the situation, the other parties involved and also the relationship. I guess the professor in your story might just be another example of this - nice to certain people and not so nice to others.

Anonymous said...

It's been my observation that patronizing and condescending people usually are better at getting along with subordinates than with peers, probably because subordinates do not mind being patronized as much, seeing it as part of the natural order of things. And once they have subordinates to condescend to, perhaps their egos are soothed enough that they don't need to condescend to others as much either...

Adjunct Soc Sci Prof said...

Is the solution scenario ever: professor holds lab for AWOL TA? I had a situation this semester where a TA was "let go" mid-semester. A second TA took over one of the fired TA's three discussion sections (not lab, per se), but I as the professor had to take over the other two. No one else had read all the books and come to all my lectures. Exhausting, and I wouldn't recommend it.

Anonymous said...

It doesn't sound like a lot of growth; people might let him get away with a lot more now that he's in a position of power and privilege. That jerks can still get so far in academia depresses me. I feel like I've had a collaborator or two with that kind of "quid pro what?" attitude, and they're getting more publications out of their postdocs and will probably land a tt position more easily than I will.

Rachel said...

Whoa, that guy sounds like a HUGE douchebag.

I didn't realize this was even an issue. We do lots of TA-swapping when people have to be away, without incident, and the TAs all just arrange it amongst themselves... I would never expect the professor to figure it out for me!!? If you can't make it up to the person who covers your lab by covering one of theirs, you buy them a case of good beer or something. Seems to work!

Anonymous said...

I had 5 hrs of a drop-in TA help sessions per week and so did the other guy. He phoned in at the last minute and said he had an emergency. I did the same help session 10 times in one week.

When I wanted him to cover my sessions later, he didn't think that he should have to since it was a re-occurring medical condition that caused his emergency. He never made it up.

I don't know what has become of this person, but he floated through grad school and wasn't super driven.

Josie said...

Wow, what a tool. What did he expect - that you would draft up a contract signed by both parties detailing the agreement? Otherwise it's just "oh if I feel like it I'll return your favor"?

As to the larger issue... I've done lots of trading with fellow TA's and they've helped me out of a tight spot too. Usually it's been family emergencies that cause last minute problems, but once a colleague forgot he had vacation plans. I didn't mind covering for him at all - we all make mistakes from time to time and there's no use getting too worked up. He returned the favor later.

Maybe that makes me a pushover or I'm "too nice" - I'm sure that jerks will take advantage, but on the other hand I think it will win the loyalty of the people that actually matter.

EliRabett said...

So did you tell the story at your lecture??

Worm Pilot said...

It sounds to me like this guy hasn't grown, it's just that people are completely tolerant of personality disorders in academia. At least, that's been my personal experience-as long as they bring in money and publish papers, they can pretty much treat people however they'd like. So this guy just finally got himself into a position where he's expected to be his jerky self.

Psycgirl said...

I love the phrase "self-inflicted emergency." One of my grad students and I are about to have a chat about self-inflicted emergencies in the form of tropical vacations that result in dropping your lab work and disappearing...

Anonymous said...

If I were you I'd be telling this story to others. It is true isn't it? I would work it into a joke or making it sound like it could be a joke. Those who know the person can make up their minds about whether this anecdote was real or just an inside joke between 2 grad school friends who go way back. Also, I doubt that it will hurt you since someone so selfish will probably not notice (or care) about your little jab. I try not to gossip but when I have an opportunity to bring up some wrongdoing that is unequivocal and true, I do. In my case this has been sexual harassment - so perhaps its more important to speak up in such cases (after you're more secure in your career of course). But if I were you I would not have been able to resist...

Anonymous said...

It's amazing how these "little" slights can leave a big impression for years. Makes me wonder whether (or rather, how often) I have accidentally done things that left a bad impression on those around me. This is a good reminder to be a little more aware of how everyone else is feeling and reacting to a situation, and also a good reminder to try a little harder to let things go rather than let those bad memories fester, only to resurface years later...

Anonymous said...

We had a TA bail mid semester and the professor ended up taking over the section for the rest of the semester. He didn't think it was fair to dump the extra work on another grad student. Kudos to him.

I still remember when this TA's crappy behavior came up in a faculty meeting. Most people thought it was pretty funny and not worth worrying about UNTIL that professor said: "You might not think this is a big deal now, but if it happens to you, you are going to end up teaching an extra 8 hours per week!" We quickly passed a new rule forbidding TA swaps.

Susan said...

Once upon a time, as a grad student when I needed to travel to present at a conference, I tried *so* hard to get it all planned ahead of time. I asked my co-TA to cover my section, and the grading of the in-class quiz, in exchange for later reciprocity. I gave out the homework grading to the graders, letting them know I'd be gone and they'd need to contact co-TA with questions, and to give him the completed work that he could hand back to students. I informed the professor of these plans. Thought I had it all set up.

I came back from the conference to panicked and angry students who had an exam the next week, but who had not gotten their quizzes or homework sets back. A big mess.

Co-TA decided, without telling anyone, that since I was "on vacation" he didn't have to work either.

I sent some hate-mail to him and cc'd the professor ... but the worst part was feeling like I'd let the students down.

I think co-TA never did finish the program, or left with an MS or somesuch.

Female Science Professor said...

I did not say anything about my festering animus to my old "friend's" students or colleagues during my visit, and he did not come to my talk.

Adjunct Soc Sci Prof said...

@Anon 11:23am - Kudos indeed to the prof. I'm in the same boat. Couldn't cancel discussion section, couldn't expect the grad students to cover. After all, it's ultimately my class and my responsibility. Unfortunately, I'm an adjunct so don't have the opportunity to make people hear me out at a faculty meeting. Odds are, my awol TA will get another TA position in the future.

PostDoc said...

@Rachel

I concur with your sentiment, but could you perhaps find an insult that isn't predicated on the general disgustingness of women's bodies?

Anonymous said...

I TA a class where one of my co-TAs just didn't show up for the first week of school. And thought it was no big deal that he left a classroom of students sitting, wondering if they were in the right room, on the first day. His office-mate 'covered' another TA section (due to illness) by walking in the room and dismissing the class outright, instead of doing the assignments he was given. When I TA'd last semester, half of the other section's students came to mine, instead, because their TA kept dismissing them 30 minutes early and after the first quiz, it was apparent that they were missing crucial information he wasn't teaching. That meant I graded 50% more quizzes and essays, and he did not. On my own time.

I see a big gender divide in my department. Women would never get away with this nonsense, but for men, it is somehow okay. They still get assigned to the most lucrative of our TAships, over and over, and make the same (or more) money as the women, but the assumption is that women are better 'teachers' and therefore TAs, and men are better researchers, and so when the male TAs screw up, they aren't really held accountable, ever.

Our department policy is that if anyone has to miss a section for a health or other emergency, they call the department assistant and she rounds up a grad student in the building to sub in - usually a senior student who has TA'd the class. Professors do it to, when they need an emergency sub, and students ask each other when they have advance warning. But I am starting to notice a very disturbing pattern - only female grad students are asked to sub. Ever. Students only ask female students, the admins only ask female students, and Profs, male and female, only ask female students.

Every minute I am not working on my own research is a minute wasted for me right now. But many, many more of my minutes are being wasted than those of my male TA colleagues. And I think it is starting to add up.

I don't mind helping out my department, or my friends, or our profs, ever. I do so, willingly. But I am starting to resent that my male colleagues, ultimately, work less, get paid the same, and pay no penalty for being a crappy employee. And really, since less of their time is being used, they are essentially being rewarded for it.

ExpatScienceGrad said...

@Anonymous 4:58: On a somewhat similar note, I noticed a couple of years ago that in my large research group, women grad students were usually the ones organizing social activities, particularly ones involving food, helping new students get organized (e.g. looking for housing, which is difficult in the city where I live, etc.), etc. Male grad students and postdocs were usually asked for help with "technical" problems (like ordering and maintaining computer systems). Note that the former set of activities is also done by secretaries (who are awesome dedicated people but not career scientists), while the latter results in marketable job skills for a variety of high-paying career-oriented jobs.

After I noticed this, I simply stopped being so ready to take on extra responsibilities of the "secretary" sort, without making a big deal out of it. I made excuses or passed the jobs on to others (to men, if possible :)). I made myself too busy with other things to be able to organize barbecues. I stopped working so hard to do a perfect job at things (like TA-ing or attending useless seminars) that took away from my research without me benefiting much from them, and just did them "good enough", when I had to. I discovered that I was not "held accountable", because I had been over-responsible about these things all along. People stopped assuming I would do anything they asked, when I stopped doing anything they asked. Everyone started being more respectful of my time, and my life became much easier.

After learning all this the hard way, I have tried to pass on words of wisdom to other female grad students, but often they are resistant, because they want to be "nice" (i.e. a doormat) or they think "someone has to do X, so I guess I will." OK, fine, but if it is always you doing X, try just not doing it a few times and see what happens. You are clever, you can find ways to politely refuse ("I'd love to, but I just can't because have this really important deadline coming up..."). Does the world end? Does someone else jump in?

Anonymous said...

I don't think this was an accidental slight. This guy preys on people and young FSP must have looked like prey to him.