The other day, I was talking with another colleague about the way that students perceive male vs. female professors. I stated that our male colleagues could simply get away with "more" in the classroom, without repercussions-- or even a reaction-- from their students. I gave the example of a male assistant prof in a nearby department who is know for his rants in the classroom. "I couldn't get away with that," I claimed. "Sure, I've spoken sternly to my class before, but if I full-on yelled at them, students wouldn't view it as 'oh, that's just Dr. R's way', like they do with X."
A student had been milling around in the hall. She piped up, "Yeah, your class would just think you were PMSing or on your period."
Holy crap.
I suppose people really do think/say stuff like this. I just haven't encountered such sentiments.... at least not to my face.
Am I just lucky (or maybe just naive)? Forget about my students. Are my male COLLEAGUES wondering if an occasional outburst is due to my monthly cycle? I mean, isn't this thinking terribly outdated....not to mention immature?
