There is a dude in my computer application class that I really want to strangle. He was in my American History class last semester, and his desire to argue with everyone immediately gave him a bad impression. So far my impression of him has not grown and warmer or fonder. He skips the second week of classes, coming back the Monday of the third week saying "I just didn't want to come to this boring classbuyt i can't miss another day without being dropped from the class" (we can only miss 3 days). He then proceeds to pull out his cell and text for the first 15 minutes of class before the teacher ask if he is going to do his work. It is basically a class that teaches a person to use word, excel, and power point. All the work, projects, and exams are online. You also have to buy a $170 code to access the website. The kid says he can't afford the code. The teacher says that since he doesn't have it she will have to mark him absent. He argued with her for 10 minutes, then made a point of coughing in her direction every time he had the chance even though she asked him to stop (she is 8 months pregnant.) Of course he argues that the baby is to wrapped up in all those layers to get sick with his cold. Since he was counted absent he eventually left 20 minutes before class ended. Next class day (Wednesday). He is back, no code again, admits he thought she wouldn't be there since she starts maternity leave soon. She leaves the room 10 minutes into class to use the bathroom. First thing he does is roll up to me and goes "I love undermining authority." and then he rolls back to his computer to play a game the whole class period. Me and the girl.next to me just look at each other in disbelief. Yesterday, teacher is on maternity leave, the kid is here and fools the new teacher into thinking he is working. She leaves to do something and he starts talking to me and the girl next to me. Basically, from what I gathered from his manners and what he said, is that he is only 18 and doesn't want to be in college. (It is a technical college by the way. Most people are in the nursing or criminal justice program, or are like me and using it as a community college before transferring. ). When asked about his code he said he doesn't have the money, saying the scholarship he gets through the state (awarded to those with a GPA of 3.0 or higher) doesn't give him enough to.buy it. And he isn't going to take out a loan and put himself in debt he will be paying off the rest of his life just for a code. I mentioned that I got the Bell Grant and his response was "That grant sucks". He is right, it does, in fact his scholarship awards more money than the grant I get. So if my grant can pay tuition and buy text books + 2 codes for online programs than why can't his scholarship that awards him more.money than mine? When I asked that he stalked back off to his desk, going on and on about how the class was easy and he would get the code when his parents bothered to buy it for him, and that he can enter the code and catch up all with in the last week of the semester. I didn't bother to tell him that as each due date passes the projects and tests lock you out and are taken from the activities list. He'll find out. He'll lose his scholarship for failing the class as well, but I can't seem to care. It is clear he feels he doesn't want to.be so why bother coming? He just passes me off.
Since the main professor is on maternity leave, I'd go to the office hour of the person taking over and explain what's gone on. Don't argue that the guy is an ass, argue dispassionately that he is disruptive, is interfering wht your ability to do work in the class, and that action needs to be taken. If the professor won't do anytning, make an appointment with the dean. At my school, the professor would never tolerate that sort of behavior and would drop the student from the class.
We've got a woman in our class who started (at degree level) with us in September '15 after no music education at all (it's a music degree), she constantly complains that the teacher isn't helping her enough, despite her only showing up half the time, or being consistently an hour late for a ninety minute lesson. And is holding other people back in places because she has to have all the basics explained to her every lesson. She keeps starting arguments (which she insists she always wins...by shouting over the other person, or flat-out ignoring them - I've been on the receiving end of this). She often criticises the teacher at quite a personal level, I've known the guy twice long as she has, and I've grown to like and respect him - I try to stick up for him, but he seems to be able to handle her.
Honestly, Matto_Corvo, I'd simply ask why you care about him. I mean, other than the fact that he is clearly annoying on those occasions when he bothers to show up to class, his test grades wouldn't appear to affect your grade in the class. So why does he matter to the point that you would give him an afterthought? If he is truly an anarchist, his point is simply to disrupt, not to add ANYTHING to the educational dialog. And, in terms of having an interim teacher/professor, doesn't he still have to take the same exams as the rest of you? Do you actually think that any actually classroom relationship he may have with the interim teacher/professor is going to allow him to pass the course without actually knowing the course material? Just some thoughts.
Not something you really do here. No one wants to be the person that snitches on someone else. Since it is self paced I just plan to spend my weekend finishing most the class so that I can leave early and not deal with him
