Am I frightening?

[germanos]

I see.

No, you're not frightening

[KrazyHorse]

Actually, maybe it was a girl. That would explain things. Girls break down under criticism. The last time I TAd an intro level class I had a number of them cry after they came to me for a regrade and did not receive any additional points.

[DinoDoc]

Why are you teaching a bio class anyway? I thought you were in theoretical physics.

[Nubclear]

"It's at www.inserturlhere.com. That info is on the class website in 3 places, by the way."

This sounds really *****y. Far from the "rugged directness" that you are trying to convey, it sounds whiny and rude.

Grow a ****ing thicker skin, dude.

I hope you recognise the irony here.

I feel like he was being condescending

But the directness is far more important to me than the politeness.

But this is your problem. You seem to operate as if the two are mutually exclusive: The more polite you become, the less direct you become. When I'm polite to someone, I'm merely conveying the information in such a way that I'm not emotionally manipulating the other person as you are.

so I agreed to take it on.

Please don't do it ever again.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
Why are you teaching a bio class anyway? I thought you were in theoretical physics.

I'm TAing an freshman physics class directed at biological science majors. Basically, a dumbed-down version of the freshman physics class directed at physical science majors.

[Ninot]

In short: To an intro level student, you are frightening. But give them a few months, and they'll think of you less as frightening, and more of as an *******.

I figure it takes about that long for students to figure out that TAs are basically useless to the students, and just tools of the prof.

[KrazyHorse]

But this is your problem. You seem to operate as if the two are mutually exclusive: The more polite you become, the less direct you become. When I'm polite to someone, I'm merely conveying the information in such a way that I'm not emotionally manipulating the other person as you are.

Actually, I was responding to Siro's dualist characterisation, but thanks for playing.

[Zkribbler]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse
No. Saying "sorry" would have been fine.

The part that was groveling was when he started asking if I was annoyed at him.

Oh, that's just what young folks do. They're obsessed with how people feel about them.

--That's one reason I love little ol' ladies...they're either so sweet, you have to love them or so dried up and crusty, that they don't give a flying flip about what anybody thinks. Now....all I have to do is figure out how to transplant the brain of an 80-year-old into the hot body of a 20-year-old

[germanos]

It was definately somebody who's not to sure of his-/herself.

Not too strange for students, who are what? In their late teens/early twenties?

I was one of those, and nowadays, when I meet lots of them in my work, I often think: God, I'm happy I've lost that insecurity.

There are plenty of people who think: If I screw up, I'm ****ed.
For some, it takes time to realize it's not like that.
Some, never learn.

And, unfortunately, for some it's true.

[DinoDoc]

Originally posted by Ninot
I figure it takes about that long for students to figure out that TA's are basically useless to the students, and just tools of the prof.

Slaves would be the better term from what I've seen.

[KrazyHorse]

Originally posted by Ninot
I figure it takes about that long for students to figure out that TA's are basically useless to the students, and just tools of the prof.

Other way around in intro classes. The prof has nothing to do with anything. He lectures. We write the assignments, grade the assignments (when they're not online), write the tests, grade the tests, hold tutorials once a week, hold office hours (he doesn't hold office hours) and set the final grades.

[Nubclear]

Okay, so if you don't see the two as being opposites, then why would you consciously choose to not be polite? It really isn't that difficult to be polite and direct at the same time: Indeed, it requires rather little effort.
Do you simply enjoy manipulating others? That doesn't quite fit into the aura of superiority that you've manufactured about yourself.

[Ninot]

I know a handful of TAs. Noone shows up to their office hours, and tutorials are jokes. So other than those two services, everything else is for the prof.

[Asher]

Originally posted by Tacc
Okay, so if you don't see the two as being opposites, then why would you consciously choose to not be polite? It really isn't that difficult to be polite and direct at the same time: Indeed, it requires rather little effort.
Do you simply enjoy manipulating others? That doesn't quite fit into the aura of superiority that you've manufactured about yourself.

Stop being rude to KH. He's come here for our help and all you do is criticize.

[Sirotnikov]

Originally posted by KrazyHorse

It is a dumb attitude in life. And it is very in appropriate for people in power positions.

What a bunch of bull****. If I **** up I want to know I ****ed up so I can fix it. Not go along thinking everything's rosy until the day they fire me and I have no idea why.

Skating around issues is insulting to me. Have the balls to come out and say what you think. I'm a big boy. I can handle it.

Tacc has analyzed it well.

Politeness is not the opposite of being direct. You can be direct and rude, or direct and polite.

I happen to know lots of people who think that being polite is a waste of time, and I think that it is a stupid and a selfish approach. It makes continuous contact with these people an annoyance. Especially when they're in charge of giving some service or what ever.

No where did I suggest that you pansy around what you want to say. There is the issue of what tone you use.