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“It’s a Lack of Respect,” She Replied: An Analysis of Community College Student Disrespect for Faculty
(The second article in a series)

I ended my college teaching career as an adjunct faculty member (i.e., part-time, by the course) this past May. In “Adjuncts: The Slave Labor of Higher Education,” the first blog article in this series, dated May 14, I explained one reason why: the fundamental lack of respect from college and system administrations for adjunct faculty members. This lack of respect shows up in
how much adjuncts are paid,
 how adjuncts are assigned courses,
 how adjuncts are evaluated, and
 whether adjuncts are invited to return.
The point of that article is that adjuncts are not respected in any of those areas and are, in a word, used. “Used” is a strong word, but I think the argument is valid. Please consider it for yourself.
Adjuncts, and I think some permanent faculty, are also not given respect as faculty members by students. This problem is increasingly widespread. I have discussed this problem with both other faculty members and with students. They observe the same problem. This problem is frustrating for the faculty and impairs the quality of the classroom education experience for all students.
This article reflects my own experience, observations, and analysis. There is always a risk of over-generalization. Even so, I hope my arguments resonate with you and are persuasive. There is a problem here that needs either to be solved or anticipated and avoided.
The Problem: Student Disrespect for Faculty
In my recent experience and observations, adjunct faculty members---as faculty and as the individuals in charge of the classroom---are not given the respect due them by 40% to 50% of current community college students. While this is true as to adjuncts, I think it is probably true as to some community college full-time faculty as well.
Two qualifications to this view are needed. One is that the longer an instructor teaches, the more “command presence” and classroom management skills that instructor acquires. This in turn can lead to fewer classroom management problems.
The second is that these percentages are likely affected by factors peculiar to a given college. My son Jeffrey teaches at a community college in Maryland where I also taught. He suggests that there is a spectrum running from community colleges where students do show respect to the faculty, at one end, to colleges where students do not show respect, at the other.
This spectrum may reflect the culture of the college as it has developed over time---by the tone set by the administration, by what has become accepted, by the aspirations of students, and by their appreciation for the value of a college experience. The spectrum may also have to do with geographic region and demographics. For example, Jeffrey teaches at a community college in suburban Washington, DC where about 75% of his students are aspiring blacks. Respect for faculty there is not an issue; nor is race. I taught most recently in colleges where the students come from semi-rural, rural, and former mill town communities.
I suspect that the degree of respect shown to faculty also correlates to some extent with how much a student is paying for the course. The higher the tuition, the more likely students are to respect faculty members, the value of the courses they take, and the school itself.
Whatever the case may be, at any community college where students do not show respect for faculty members in the classroom or in extra-curricular activities, that college risks being mediocre.
What Happens in the Classroom
For classroom instruction to be effective, students need to focus on the subject matter and follow the discussion. Ideally they should take notes, although in recent memory many community college students do not do so. They should be thinking about what the instructor is presenting. When called on, they should be able to continue the thread of the discussion and add to it. Even better, they should contribute to the discussion without having to be called on.
In order to have good classes, teachers routinely lay down “classroom management” rules to be followed in class, such as these: Do not comment to or converse with other students during class. Do not text or monitor cellphones or use cellphones. Be on time and do not leave early. Attend to bathroom needs before or after class, not during class unless truly necessary. Do not get up and move around during class. Tell the instructor ahead of time if you must take an emergency call or must leave early, and then do so in a non-disruptive way. Eating food may also be prohibited.

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