The title of “Professor” is a mark of academic attainment beyond a PhD (at least in the US); one is a professor whether or not one does any teaching whatsoever. When student signs up for a class, at my university at least, they can see who the “Instructor” is. The Instructor could be a Professor, but sometimes not. Professors can, and do, instruct.
In fact, I could see the insult going the other way. A student saying “my Professor” could–if I cared about such trifling matters of etiquette–get me all cranky because I, as a member of the elite learned group who can claim the title of “Professor,” belong to no student. If I were a complete dick–which a few Professors are–I could demand that my lowly students say “Professor Statsman1982, the Professor who has deigned to teach my course.”
Besides, the guy is at a community college (where I’d love to be BTW, so I can safely say this). Among many people in academia, that is one step up from cleaning chemical toilets because it involves a lot of teaching. So, at such a place, “instructor” is probably a more appropriate term.
I do agree, though, that fighting this guy is pointless (unless he’s doing something really egregious, like sexual harassment or threatening the OP). He’s retiring and he’s in charge. He probably golfs with the Dean. He has nothing to lose by failing a student, and it sounds like the guy has no qualms with being an ass.
I was not planning to check back in to my posts but curiosity got to me. I thank you for the French links and I am getting a tutor through the school. To the doctoral student and someone who mentioned abuse, thank you for your assistance and comments. I am a strong person and I can get through this. I said I have learned a lot and I have. My high school teachers didn’t say things like this to me in writing or person, and even though I have finished all of the sciences classes, I am still taking the English and History classes in high school as required by the government. My whole school is only about 160 high school students and the college is thousands! It is so big. My colleges classes are very different from high school, I think that is just the way it is and now after 2 months I know a lot more about the differences in college and high school. Geology, Statistics and Organic Chemistry at college are easier than French for me. The resources look very good. Again, thank you very much. I do not own a computer, I use my householder’s computer so I usually go to the library. It is so interesting to read all of the messages again and see all of the differences of opinions.
I don’t want to change the subject here. Can I ask another question? When he told us at the first week of class to move our desks close together with a partner he said something like: “I’m not asking you to have sex with them…” Then last week when explaining “Celibataire” (Single in English) he said that the word did not relate to sex. Is this kind of a strange thing for a professor to say? I really don’t know who to ask. This is not part of my culture at all. My friends think he’s funny, but I thought it was not funny. (I’m now learning that with his PhD he is a professor … not an instructor, thank you).? Ok, if I should not ask this question, just delete it.
Pretty normal, if you ask me. Adults make sex jokes. College professors are adults teaching other adults, so they certainly make jokes that would be inappropriate in the high school class room. It’s like the difference between reading Romeo and Juliet in high school vs reading it in college-- in high school, the teacher didn’t really point out that every other line was basically a dick joke, in college they did.
Now, certainly, if you ever feel a professor is making sexual advances on you or saying sexual things about you that make you truly uncomfortable, speak up. Nobody should ever be in a position where they feel harassed. Still, you’ll have to get used to that line that comes with adult social interactions.
In English, there is an alternative word for someone who is a virgin (virgin = someone who has not EVER had sex) and that word is “celibate.”
It is usually meant to designate someone who is purposefully NOT having sex for a religious or social reason.
Examples:
“Jeanne is 14 years old, and she is a virgin.”
Charles is 42, and has been celibate since his 20s."
The second sentence carries implications about Charles’ reasons for not having sex, whereas the first sentence ONLY carries implications about Jeanne’s sexual experience, not her opinions or actions about it.
In French, Celibataire (I’m guessing from your explanation) means someone who is not in a long-term relationship with someone. In English, that translates as “single,” but he is reminding the native English speakers who would be familiar with the word “celibate” that the French term for being single does NOT carry implications that the person is a virgin, or is abstaining from sex. He is trying to reduce misunderstandings and mistranslations.
Being an intro college language course, he is trying to make puns and allusions to help students remember the language and get through the class (which may be a requirement for some majors, and not something people are taking because they are actually interested in learning the language). Most of the people laughing are doing so for one of the following reasons:
When a superior makes a joke, even a bad one, you laugh at it because they are your superior, and not laughing is an insult to them.
Because they are uncomfortable discussing sex in public, or with an older “adult” authority figure, and they are nervously relieving the tension by laughing.
What they said. I had an Intro to Psych professor who talked about how the hypothalamus (part of the brain) “is responsible for the 4 F’s: fighting, feeding, fleeing, and… reproductive behavior.”* A Classical Mythology prof used myth-related cartoons from Playboy Magazine in his slideshows, to break up the endless photos of decayed ruins, paintings, etc. Appropriate, since just learning about Zeus involves a whole lot of talk about sex.
Very, very normal. I suspect he was even trying to be funny.
*And I’m pretty sure the joke is why I remember this detail 20 years later.
OK, thank you. Yes, he is not saying anything to me privately. I do not think the paperwork I fill out for the college and my high school to take the college classes gets sent to the professor so he does not know I am at high school age. I do wonder why he went around asking us if we were married, or not and we find out he is divorced, I guess this is humorous too, I see what you are talking about and now I see it is a little funny. OK, very good, that helps me a lot. Now I see why my friends in school think he is funny also. This is a very good website. Thank you a lot.
Is it weird that I’m 100% the exact opposite when it comes to asking questions? I’m someone who vaaaastly prefers communicating via txt, IM, email, etc. but when it comes to a question I need to ask a professor, I am far more comfortable asking in person. njtt seems to tie into part of why I feel that way, with:
Actually, no, you’re not weird :). I have students who come by the office or speak with me before class, but it’s interesting that a number of the ones who will send thoughtful emails or will want to work through a draft of a paper, or help understanding a difficult concept before an exam are frequently students who turn out to be way too shy to speak up in class or to come by the office.
As for the goofiness of ‘answer me now!!!’ at 3am – nothing surprises me anymore. I usually let my students know that if they want a response, they need to email me before 8pm.
Ugh – sorry zweisamkeit, that’s some crap coding on my part up there.
On the topic of emailing professors/instructors/TAs – the best advice I got once as a student was ‘think quality over quantity’ – and I have to agree with many of the suggestions here; take the initiative and look up what you can first, then write to your teacher. I spent last weekend fielding questions from a student literally every five minutes about the basic plot points of the Iliad that could have easily been looked up on her own.
And, golly, no, don’t send that email suggested above! It will not be received well at all.
If I received the email above, I would invite the student to reconsider whether taking my course, taught by me, was for them. They would, from that email, appear to think that they knew it all already, and my course would therefore get along very nicely without them.