the fee scale has nothing to do with the individual tutor, and doesn't buy the student a right to ignore requests for appointments.
Yes that part jumped out at me too. Nor does paying a lot of money for tuition entitle a student to be handed excellent grade scores... though it is surprising how many students and parents seem to think so. I was also surprised to learn that student fees are a fraction, not the majority, of income for a University.
I felt exactly the same way when reading the post.
The "My parents paid beaucoup bucks to send me here so I deserve more than a C."
Hahahahahahahaahahahaahahahahaahhaahahhahhahahaha!!!!!!!!!
I taught logic.
This falls under the fallacy of irrelevant reason.
I have a good friend who teaches as a fairly prestigeous small liberal arts college and he regales me with stories of student expectations. It's kind of sad, actually. Apparently (according to him), students want to know EXACTLY what the standards and expectations are. He befuddles them when he tells them that in order to get an A, he (the teacher) has to LEARN something from the student! And the idea that actions have consequences is foreign to many. BUT, many of the students are depressed. And, he says, many come back after graduation and complain that the college didn't prepare them for real life.
My bolding of text.
Education at no matter what stage is a preparation for life & work with all of the rules, regulations & hierarchies which exist therein.
Most employers would not look kindly upon an employee who just walks into their office & expects the employer to drop whatever they are doing, unless it was an urgent situation. Everywhere I have worked an appointment was essential.
Passing is important when it comes to the other side of my job, where I am not dealing with colleages, but adult students. Last week, I made a class of fifty students I had never met before laugh out loud (in a good way, I assure you). My sense of humour may be odd, but it is at least occassionally compatible with the rest of the world. It is a very useful icebreaker, and I often see comments left by students at websites where professors are rated and commented upon, like, "I didn't know _(subject I teach)_ could be so much fun! Take this class!"
So as a teacher you are viewed highly by the students.
When students see me one-on-one, it's a different matter, especially when they show up unannounced. I get utterly flustered when someone just drops in to my office. There is a huge sign on my door that states that absolutely no student will be seen without an appointment, but it is ignored so often, it might as well not be there. So when students ignore it, I tell them, "you need to make an appointment. I'm busy and cannot see you now. Sorry," in exactly those words, and they usually get the point.
If the sign is a obvious as this & you are polite in deferring them, then the students have absolutely no excuse for demanding that you speak with them now or to persist in their demands.
He admitted to me that despite my excellent teaching record, I am largely regarded as unapproachable by students, not because of the sign on my door, as most profs have them, but because, and I quote, "you are a totally different person one on one than they expect to meet after they see you in lecture." I make students uncomfortable when they discover I don't make eye contact with them (I "look through them"), never remember who they are, and appear insensitive to their personal problems, even though I am very helpful with solving those problems . I am seen as a snob.
This bothers me at a personal level, because I do care what my reputation is. I want students to approach me (during my contact time) and I want to help them
I can't see that in any of this you have done anything wrong, although some might want you to think you have.
You can't be insensitive to the student's problems & at the same time be very helpful.
You state clearly that you do not wish to be disturbed when you are busy, but that you will see anyone who is prepared to make an appointment.
You do help those who ask for it & give them an appropriate time & means to do so.
When you do help them if they feel uncomfortable because you can't look at them that is their problem, how would they cope with a blind teacher?
