Jesus and My Virtual Classroom

I have a grading dilemma. It’s not too serious, but it makes my life very uncomfortable at times. I think it has everything to do with the limits of my ability to correct behaviors in undergraduates.

Don’t get me wrong, I love what I do. I can think of no joy more complete than when I see a student make progress over the course of a semester or really put in hard work to pass my class. These students are likely to make the same mistakes I will describe below, but only with the best intentions.

I try to keep my personal opinions hidden. Like every good historian, I believe in the value of objectivity not only in research, but in the way I teach. Therefore, only accidental traces of my atheism and liberalism seep into my teaching (this is especially the case because the curriculum is standardized). Even though many of my students hold beliefs that I absolutely abhor, I treat them the same as my students who sway toward the things that I believe. They are equals, because that’s how it should be.

Apparently, I’m a rare bird. Many of my pupils are terrified of me before they talk to me for the first time. They’re nervous, I can almost smell their cold sweat.  My only conclusion is that there are some teachers in the community college system who have become embittered (easily done in a system that lacks support for adjuncts, I must admit). I’m easy to talk to, make my accessible, and I’m generally cheerful unless you’re a plagiarist.

Though this issue in several forms has gotten my attention before, today it struck a chord. The question on the discussion board was rather simple: “Why do we study history?” For me, this question is quite easily answered. The government wants you to be a better citizen (read: not Communist or prone to dissension in anyway). The school wants you to fulfill requirements to enable you to transfer your credits. The professor wants you to be made aware of what’s happened in the past. More importantly, taking humanities classes teaches you to think creatively, use your organization, memorization, and written communication skills, how to discuss controversial topics like an adult, and how to maintain objectivity in analysis.

Today’s post from the student was about how the Christian God created “His Story.” As mentioned above, I’m an atheist. Have been for years and in fact, was never part of any organized religion. Not Christened, not baptized. I was given the choice, and I chose the most rational option. This doesn’t mean that everyone should believe the same things I do. Some people need religion to get through their lives, and that’s cool. However, proselytizing on my discussion boards isn’t acceptable.

How does one deal with this as an instructor? The student didn’t really answer the question, so the actual points grading was simple.  This isn’t the first student who has done this, and now that there’s one, there will be others who will copy this sentiment.

As an instructor, with this sort of situation, you walk a fine line. You can tell the student to tone it down and stick to the proven facts, but you risk them being offended. This is further complicated by the fact that I’m an adjunct and rocking the proverbial boat is not necessarily a good idea when you’re a contract employee.  I also feel that perhaps if anything further than a lower grade (for not answering the question) is given, such as a note, that whomever the incident is reported to would also be offended.

The real question, for me, is why this student thought that throwing out a plethora of Bible quotes and standing on a soap box would help their grade. Has this worked before? If it has, what does that say about the quality of education?

I understand that many students make mistakes, and especially in the online environment. It’s no easy feat to move from the pedagogical model to the andragogical one (passive to active learning), but there has to be a point where you consider the feelings and thoughts of others. This student left no room for discussion of her point, not only because she didn’t make one, but since most of my students are of the same faith, there’s no way for them to actively engage this kind of behavior from a discussion standpoint. Once you bring in Jesus, there’s not much more to say.