Student Evaluations

Just got my student evaluations for the spring term, which are always a delight to read (even if I go into them with some trepidation). This batch, I must say, was especially fun.  Several of them were even illustrated.  (I’m not kidding.)

Anyhow, I thought it was worth sharing some of my favorite responses. And while there were terrific ones in all the classes — one comment from 102 was “He was tupping great” (a running joke from our reading of Othello) — by far the most entertaining responses were from my Chaucer class.

Under the question What did you like most about this class?:

• “Chaucer is mind-blowing.” Yes, young padawan. He is.

Under the question What did you like most about this professor?:

• “He’s Dr. Livingston! Plus when the light reflects off his head just right, it is miraculous.” Score. Only a couple more miracles to go before sainthood.
• “He’s like a Bill Nye of Chaucer. He makes learning fun, easy, and available to the masses.” Wow.  Bill Nye the Science Guy? I had been thinking I needed my own show on PBS… plus my face on a co-ed’s t-shirt.
• “He’s a badass. And he’s bald.” What’s with all the bald comments?
• “The Orlando Bloom life-sized poster in his bedroom.” Running joke here. I do not have such a thing. Honestly.

Under the question What did you like least about this professor? the spaces were mostly blank. A few were not:

• “–” This was followed by an arrow and a comment: “This is actually my answer. A dismissive line.”
• “I’m an atheist, but he’s like really an atheist… Okay we get it, boo! God.” I still haven’t figured out what this means. Is the “he” supposed to be me? Interesting if so since, well, I’m not an atheist. And what’s with that last bit? Was this comment signed by God?
• “His gleaming head is distracting — it is reminiscent of Kurtz in Apocalypse Now. I wonder if he leads a renegade army out of Cambodia… The horror!” As it happens, I do have a renegade army.  Only I can’t disclose its location or the object of my invasion plans.

And, last but not least, under the question What constructive suggestions do you have?, I’d like to say that the answers were again mostly blank (or n/a, etc.). Alas, they weren’t.  The majority made a fervent plea for me to teach Tolkien as a non-Honors class, a “let’s-all-agree-to-write-this” request that strikes me as something that might get me into trouble (I swear: I did not suggest this to them!).  Anyway, among the few that said something else was this heart-warmer:

• “None. This was my favorite course from the semester and easily one of the best since I’ve been at [The] Citadel.”