Computer Writing and Research Lab | University of Texas at Austin

Humanizing Instructors

Submitted by gavinbenke on March 20, 2008 - 11:09am

Here's an article that appeared in the New York Times today about professors who are using blogs, social networking sites and the like in an attempt to "humanize" themselves for their students. Some also see this as a response to websites like Ratemyprofessor.com. The article's interesting, but doesn't really discuss what these sorts of issues mean for graduate student instructors.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/20/fashion/20professor.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

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I really think that we

Submitted by boudreault on April 8, 2008 - 2:01pm.

I really think that we should expect that some of our students aren't going to like us and just accept it. Seriously. We don't need to be liked by everyone. In fact, this is where being delusional comes in handy. Luckily, all my students love me, so I have nothing to worry about. (See?)

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?

Submitted by jonathanlamb on March 25, 2008 - 11:13am.

What do these issues mean for graduate student instructors? Don't we often (perhaps because on average we're younger and more eager to please) have a head start when it comes to self-humanization?

Perhaps the real question is, why do many professors feel as though they can't be human without such tools as blogs, Facebook, etc.? Aren't such tools also a roadblock to actual sincerity?

Interestingly, the most sincere moment on the Professors Strike Back website (which the Times article mentions) is the one in which the professor apologizes for something he's been criticized for:

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