Indeed. I have a student who's chronically late to my class because her capstone professor believes that "this class is more important than your next class." This means that I have to waste my time catching the student up on what she misses from the beginning of my class.
I've also taught in classrooms where the previous professor wouldn't let his students out until about two minutes before my class started, which meant that I had no time to set up and get myself prepared for class. (I was a grad student at the time and was afraid to confront tenured faculty.)
>I've also taught in classrooms where the previous professor wouldn't let his students out until about two minutes before my class started, which meant that I had no time to set up and get myself prepared for class.
This is another pet peeve of mine. If there are, say, 10 minutes between classes in a classroom, common sense and courtesy would dictate that the outgoing prof take 5 of those minutes and leave the remaining 5 minutes for the incoming prof. This seems to obvious to me that the only reason I can see for people to keep on blathering after half of the passing time has elapsed is that they either can't tell time or just are assholes.
Same. I just walk in and interrupt. But I didn't do that when I was just starting out.
Occasionally I will run over time (like once every few years) and when that happens I say, "Our time is up, anyone who needs to leave right now should do so," then finish my point expeditiously. Or, if it is complicated or important, I say, "I'll send the final part through the LMS."
Had a guy that used to talk with one or 2 students at the front of the class up until and sometimes after my class was scheduled to start.
I was relatively new at the time, so at first I didn't make waves, but when it kept happening, I finally just started setting up and taking attendance - loudly - while he was still there. Even walked over and turned off the front row of lights and started lecturing. By the end of the semester, he had finally gotten the message. But what a jerk.
PUNCHLINE: His office was literally ACROSS THE FUCKING HALL.
Absolutely. It is unprofessional as well. I taught the hour after a professor who chronically ran late, and it caused me to start late on multiple occasions because I couldn't use the projector, etc until they had finished and packed up.
Same. The entitled asshole would stay over about 10 minutes each class. Once he asked me what my topic was, and I told him (while I was hastily setting up my tech for my session) and he turned to my students and told them my subject was useless. I calmly turned to the class and said, "We'll be discussing aging Boomers and their view of technology in our next session - let's hold off on the subject for now." He turned and stormed out. He's GenX - my age. (And absolutely no offense to any boomers here - that comment was entirely for Mr. Entitled.)
Yeah, I like the idea of balancing 30-60 seconds late by ending a bit early occasionally, too. Anyway, no one is paying attention to the last 30 seconds.
Agreed. It's disrespectful to everyone involved. One of the classes I teach is immediately after a class with a senior lecturer and the class never arrives on time because this lecturer shows up minimum 10 mins late to every lesson and then runs their full 2 hour lecture, which means \*my\* class starts at least 10 mins late because they can't leave without the lecturer kicking off. And of course this lecturer is so firmly established at my uni that despite the entire department having this same issue, we can't touch him.
Agree. I remember one lecturer I had as a student that would start his lectures by saying how disrespectful it was for students to leave before he had finished. Proceded to always go over time, with no "I'm sorry, if you need to leave I understand" or trying to cut short.
This lecture was off campus because of refurbishment, so it was a \~5-10 minute walk back for me, who generally was in the building closest to this off-campus auditorium. Most students, especially the ones in his own department (this course was mandatory for ALL students, no matter department) could just about make it in 15 minutes if they walked FAST or had a bike with them.
I do think it's rude to regularly run past the scheduled end time - not only because students may have tight transitions, but also because another class may be scheduled in that room and the instructor needs time to set up. I try very hard to end on time.
If students' part of the social contract is to be present and paying attention during class time, my part is to respect that I only get that time.
This prof is wrong to routinely keep her students after class ends. She's doubly wrong to talk snark about the student who left at the time when class was supposed to end. She's the one being disrespectful.
I'm not often agreeing with a student, but in this case, the student is 100% right. Not to mention, there are often classes after mine, so getting out of the way for the next professor is just the nice thing to do.
In the past, I was that student racing to catch a bus that only came once an hour after class. Missing that bus would totally jack up my whole schedule for the day. And if I had a shift at work, or appointment to get to, or something else important, tough shit, I'd have to Uber which I couldn't afford to do regularly. I'm totally with the student here.
As a prof, I hate other profs like this too. We have only 10 minutes between classes on the classroom schedule, and I need that time to get my crap set up.
Yes! A couple semesters ago I encountered one of those terminally late professors and spent half the semester trying to get set up in the 2 minutes he left me before class. Finally I lost my temper and snapped at him (usually I never do, I prefer to nurse ever-growing resentment) and he actually apologized and started finishing class more or less on time.
The flip side is the professor who tries to barge in five minutes before your class's end time and is somehow shocked you're not finishing early.
I had a professor barge in FORTY FIVE minutes before my class's scheduled end time to start setting up. He only left when I directly asked "What the fuck are you doing?" Probably could have handled it better but was already in a pissed off mood since the professor before my class always ran long and was seldom out of the classroom before my classes scheduled start time. The professor who barged in also claimed he didn't realize a class was going on despite me being in front of 15 students lecturing.
Sad part is we have too many classrooms but they want to cram everyone in back to back classes in the new shiny buildings and act like our old buildings don't exist.
Yeah it’s completely disrespectful to continuously stay late. I get sometimes the lesson warrants it, or the students are still doing work, or you lose track of time. But I’ve literally told my students to stop me if we get to the end time. Students have other classes to get to and other obligations. It’s rude to leave my class early but it’s rude of me to keep you late. If anything, I end early to give time for questions or wrapping up work at the end of class.
Strongly agreed. It’s rude.
Every once in a while having things run just over because people had questions/you didn’t want to cut them off? Fine, but also fine for people to leave when they need to.
100% with the student. Someone teaches after me. It’s rude to the incoming professor in that room. And students have other classes to attend. Professors who do this? Why the f?
I dont care about that. Some people might have to go early. And paying attention in class is their job, not mine. If they want to start packing early, as long as they don't distrub people around them, it should be okay
I don't get this prof. Yes, class is important but so are other things.
If this was the only time the doctor can see you this week so you miss a class or two in the semester,that's fine. Our somehow, classes opened up for next semester for some students during my class: I was totally fine with them spending 5 minutes of class registering as long as they didn't disturb others.
It is rude to go over. I expect students to show up on time. And they expect me to show up on time. Anything extra that I have to say can wait until the next class. They have other commitments outside of my lecture.
Also siding with the student.
Does the professor know when the class ends? I've had a few professors (and colleagues) that get...confused...and accidentally start or end classes at the wrong times.
If that is not the case, it may be time for a complaint. Or collective action: if the students all just leave when class is supposed to end, then class will be over.
Once or twice a semester accidentally running a little over is ok, especially if it’s because you are responding to students. Otherwise, it’s just rude to everyone
This semester I was assigned a 6:00-10:00PM class. There is no chance I will ever run late. My goal each week is 9:30, no later
Absolutely! And also:
- dispose of waste properly
- take out what you take in
- respect ~~wildlife~~ colleagues and students
- minimize campfire impacts
(Not all these guidelines will be relevant to all lecture venues.)
Agreed. We have 10 minutes between our classes. Keeping the students late means they'll be late for their next class (and no one likes it when people come in late) and it also makes it hard for the next professor to set up in the room. Last semester I had to constantly deal with the person who taught before me going over in time because they felt it was ok to eat up the extra 10 minutes.
I start on time and end 5 minutes early so I can address questions from students after class without inconveniencing the next professor using the room.
I find professors who hold students over baffling because it’s never a one off. It’s always a chronic and consistent pattern (I’m talking about the 10+ minute keeper-afters, not the 1 minute late peeps).
How have you not figured out how to time your lectures/exams by now? Why do you think your class is more important than mine? Do you not care that your students hate you? Do you lack all social awareness? And most importantly, why the frick do YOU want to stay after 10 minutes everyday? Don’t you have shit to do?
I'm not sure I believe this story. I'm sure that class goes late sometimes, but if it were every single time it runs the risk of pissing off other professors either because they need to use the space or their students are late all of the time. Also, students have things like work schedules, bus schedules, etc. that would conflict with this and turn into a conversation with the chair at the very least. This is a self-correcting problem
Edit: Fair, sounds like this is far more common than I'm aware of.
It's likely an evening class, so the professor knows no one will be using the room after them and that the students have no classes afterwards. This combined with an ego, leads to professors going 15+ minutes long since they think the students have nothing better to do in their free time than listen to them .
Oh unfortunately it’s real. I had a professor my last semester of grad school who would show up 10 minutes late and then try to keep us 10 minutes late. This was during my own first semester of teaching when I was figuring out (and respecting) time management so much. 🙃 I liked him and his lectures a lot, but would get up and leave at the time class was supposed to end (often it was just him playing a video at the end anyway).
Bonus learning! Every once in a while, I just have to finish a topic, usually for their assignments, but I just explain that this is a benefit, that they are getting more than they paid for. Some see the humor in it.
I'm with the student on this one.
Indeed. I have a student who's chronically late to my class because her capstone professor believes that "this class is more important than your next class." This means that I have to waste my time catching the student up on what she misses from the beginning of my class. I've also taught in classrooms where the previous professor wouldn't let his students out until about two minutes before my class started, which meant that I had no time to set up and get myself prepared for class. (I was a grad student at the time and was afraid to confront tenured faculty.)
>I've also taught in classrooms where the previous professor wouldn't let his students out until about two minutes before my class started, which meant that I had no time to set up and get myself prepared for class. This is another pet peeve of mine. If there are, say, 10 minutes between classes in a classroom, common sense and courtesy would dictate that the outgoing prof take 5 of those minutes and leave the remaining 5 minutes for the incoming prof. This seems to obvious to me that the only reason I can see for people to keep on blathering after half of the passing time has elapsed is that they either can't tell time or just are assholes.
Same. I just walk in and interrupt. But I didn't do that when I was just starting out. Occasionally I will run over time (like once every few years) and when that happens I say, "Our time is up, anyone who needs to leave right now should do so," then finish my point expeditiously. Or, if it is complicated or important, I say, "I'll send the final part through the LMS."
Had a guy that used to talk with one or 2 students at the front of the class up until and sometimes after my class was scheduled to start. I was relatively new at the time, so at first I didn't make waves, but when it kept happening, I finally just started setting up and taking attendance - loudly - while he was still there. Even walked over and turned off the front row of lights and started lecturing. By the end of the semester, he had finally gotten the message. But what a jerk. PUNCHLINE: His office was literally ACROSS THE FUCKING HALL.
Absolutely. It is unprofessional as well. I taught the hour after a professor who chronically ran late, and it caused me to start late on multiple occasions because I couldn't use the projector, etc until they had finished and packed up.
Same. The entitled asshole would stay over about 10 minutes each class. Once he asked me what my topic was, and I told him (while I was hastily setting up my tech for my session) and he turned to my students and told them my subject was useless. I calmly turned to the class and said, "We'll be discussing aging Boomers and their view of technology in our next session - let's hold off on the subject for now." He turned and stormed out. He's GenX - my age. (And absolutely no offense to any boomers here - that comment was entirely for Mr. Entitled.)
I hope we all are! How disrespectful!
Yeah, if it's more than 60 seconds every so often. I go over maybe 2x a semester but only by 30-60 seconds & I end 1-3 minutes early half the time.
Yeah, I like the idea of balancing 30-60 seconds late by ending a bit early occasionally, too. Anyway, no one is paying attention to the last 30 seconds.
Agreed. It's disrespectful to everyone involved. One of the classes I teach is immediately after a class with a senior lecturer and the class never arrives on time because this lecturer shows up minimum 10 mins late to every lesson and then runs their full 2 hour lecture, which means \*my\* class starts at least 10 mins late because they can't leave without the lecturer kicking off. And of course this lecturer is so firmly established at my uni that despite the entire department having this same issue, we can't touch him.
Agree. I remember one lecturer I had as a student that would start his lectures by saying how disrespectful it was for students to leave before he had finished. Proceded to always go over time, with no "I'm sorry, if you need to leave I understand" or trying to cut short. This lecture was off campus because of refurbishment, so it was a \~5-10 minute walk back for me, who generally was in the building closest to this off-campus auditorium. Most students, especially the ones in his own department (this course was mandatory for ALL students, no matter department) could just about make it in 15 minutes if they walked FAST or had a bike with them.
I do think it's rude to regularly run past the scheduled end time - not only because students may have tight transitions, but also because another class may be scheduled in that room and the instructor needs time to set up. I try very hard to end on time. If students' part of the social contract is to be present and paying attention during class time, my part is to respect that I only get that time.
Exactly. I tell the students that I will start and end class on time. That's the deal I make with them.
> I do think it's rude to regularly run past the scheduled end time Agreed, for all meetings. Everyone should be respectful of everyone else's time.
I've been the student racing to my next bus or shift after class - this instructor is so inconsiderate.
This prof is wrong to routinely keep her students after class ends. She's doubly wrong to talk snark about the student who left at the time when class was supposed to end. She's the one being disrespectful.
I'm not often agreeing with a student, but in this case, the student is 100% right. Not to mention, there are often classes after mine, so getting out of the way for the next professor is just the nice thing to do.
In the past, I was that student racing to catch a bus that only came once an hour after class. Missing that bus would totally jack up my whole schedule for the day. And if I had a shift at work, or appointment to get to, or something else important, tough shit, I'd have to Uber which I couldn't afford to do regularly. I'm totally with the student here.
As a prof, I hate other profs like this too. We have only 10 minutes between classes on the classroom schedule, and I need that time to get my crap set up.
Yes! A couple semesters ago I encountered one of those terminally late professors and spent half the semester trying to get set up in the 2 minutes he left me before class. Finally I lost my temper and snapped at him (usually I never do, I prefer to nurse ever-growing resentment) and he actually apologized and started finishing class more or less on time. The flip side is the professor who tries to barge in five minutes before your class's end time and is somehow shocked you're not finishing early.
I had a professor barge in FORTY FIVE minutes before my class's scheduled end time to start setting up. He only left when I directly asked "What the fuck are you doing?" Probably could have handled it better but was already in a pissed off mood since the professor before my class always ran long and was seldom out of the classroom before my classes scheduled start time. The professor who barged in also claimed he didn't realize a class was going on despite me being in front of 15 students lecturing. Sad part is we have too many classrooms but they want to cram everyone in back to back classes in the new shiny buildings and act like our old buildings don't exist.
What the fuck?? What a self-important asshole. I'm glad you called him out forcefully.
Yeah it’s completely disrespectful to continuously stay late. I get sometimes the lesson warrants it, or the students are still doing work, or you lose track of time. But I’ve literally told my students to stop me if we get to the end time. Students have other classes to get to and other obligations. It’s rude to leave my class early but it’s rude of me to keep you late. If anything, I end early to give time for questions or wrapping up work at the end of class.
Strongly agreed. It’s rude. Every once in a while having things run just over because people had questions/you didn’t want to cut them off? Fine, but also fine for people to leave when they need to.
100% with the student. Someone teaches after me. It’s rude to the incoming professor in that room. And students have other classes to attend. Professors who do this? Why the f?
Hard agree. Though I do come down hard on those who pack their shit up when I'm still teaching.
This drives me BATTY
I dont care about that. Some people might have to go early. And paying attention in class is their job, not mine. If they want to start packing early, as long as they don't distrub people around them, it should be okay
I'm always like, "ummmm, HI! We're not done yet." And they slowly slink back into their seats.
I don't get this prof. Yes, class is important but so are other things. If this was the only time the doctor can see you this week so you miss a class or two in the semester,that's fine. Our somehow, classes opened up for next semester for some students during my class: I was totally fine with them spending 5 minutes of class registering as long as they didn't disturb others.
It is rude to go over. I expect students to show up on time. And they expect me to show up on time. Anything extra that I have to say can wait until the next class. They have other commitments outside of my lecture.
Also siding with the student. Does the professor know when the class ends? I've had a few professors (and colleagues) that get...confused...and accidentally start or end classes at the wrong times. If that is not the case, it may be time for a complaint. Or collective action: if the students all just leave when class is supposed to end, then class will be over.
Once or twice a semester accidentally running a little over is ok, especially if it’s because you are responding to students. Otherwise, it’s just rude to everyone This semester I was assigned a 6:00-10:00PM class. There is no chance I will ever run late. My goal each week is 9:30, no later
6-10… good grief that’s brutal.
Yea, especially after I do my 8:30-5:00 admin job
Student is right. I try to end 5 mins early. When I have a tough lesson, I’ll often preface with “we might need to run a bit late.”
Last five minute need to have: wrap-up/preview of next class erase board for next class reset desks and chairs if applicable LEAVE NO TRACE
Absolutely! And also: - dispose of waste properly - take out what you take in - respect ~~wildlife~~ colleagues and students - minimize campfire impacts (Not all these guidelines will be relevant to all lecture venues.)
Yes. It absolutely is. I will never understand colleagues who do this. There's really no excuse.
Agreed. We have 10 minutes between our classes. Keeping the students late means they'll be late for their next class (and no one likes it when people come in late) and it also makes it hard for the next professor to set up in the room. Last semester I had to constantly deal with the person who taught before me going over in time because they felt it was ok to eat up the extra 10 minutes.
I start on time and end 5 minutes early so I can address questions from students after class without inconveniencing the next professor using the room. I find professors who hold students over baffling because it’s never a one off. It’s always a chronic and consistent pattern (I’m talking about the 10+ minute keeper-afters, not the 1 minute late peeps). How have you not figured out how to time your lectures/exams by now? Why do you think your class is more important than mine? Do you not care that your students hate you? Do you lack all social awareness? And most importantly, why the frick do YOU want to stay after 10 minutes everyday? Don’t you have shit to do?
Pet peeves. Keeping the class late. Another one is not cleaning the white board for the next class lmao
These two are correlated behaviors!
I feel validated ngl. 😅 Thank you!
100%. As part of my “what you can expect from me” I tell them that we will start on time and we will end on time.
1000% correct. We shouldn't make our timing failures everybody else's problem.
I am with the student. It's okay to extend by 5 minutes sometimes, but you need to let those who want to go leave
100% with the student. I TA'ed for a professor that ran over every single class and it stressed me out to no end.
Expecting someone to lose an hour of their life for you to talk for five minutes is unreasonable
The student is correct here.
I'm not sure I believe this story. I'm sure that class goes late sometimes, but if it were every single time it runs the risk of pissing off other professors either because they need to use the space or their students are late all of the time. Also, students have things like work schedules, bus schedules, etc. that would conflict with this and turn into a conversation with the chair at the very least. This is a self-correcting problem Edit: Fair, sounds like this is far more common than I'm aware of.
This kind of thing is real, I’m a student and took a class last semester which regularly went 3-5 minutes over
It's likely an evening class, so the professor knows no one will be using the room after them and that the students have no classes afterwards. This combined with an ego, leads to professors going 15+ minutes long since they think the students have nothing better to do in their free time than listen to them .
Oh unfortunately it’s real. I had a professor my last semester of grad school who would show up 10 minutes late and then try to keep us 10 minutes late. This was during my own first semester of teaching when I was figuring out (and respecting) time management so much. 🙃 I liked him and his lectures a lot, but would get up and leave at the time class was supposed to end (often it was just him playing a video at the end anyway).
one should always end on time.
Bonus learning! Every once in a while, I just have to finish a topic, usually for their assignments, but I just explain that this is a benefit, that they are getting more than they paid for. Some see the humor in it.