Professor Feels Foolish When No One Answers Discussion Question

Dr. Trevor Haverson, an Environmental Science professor, contended with an embarrassing moment last Friday during his 11:00am lecture. According to Haverson, during his lecture he decided to “mix things up a little” and put forth a discussion question halfway through the lecture. But when no one answered his discussion question he didn’t know what to do so he just stood there a few minutes in awkward silence before eventually just answering it himself.

“I thought it was a pretty riveting question, I was surprised that my students weren’t enthusiastic about it. I felt really foolish,” Haverson said of the incident. Haverson told The Freudian Slip that for the rest of the weekend he struggled with how to deal with this. “Was the question too controversial? Was it too hard to answer? Did I not ask it in a way that made them comfortable answering it?” According to his husband Dr. Haverson was so distraught that he disappeared into the woods for most of the weekend. “He doesn’t normally walk off into the woods like that. I mean, he’s an Environmental Science professor so sometimes he hides in the compost bin but what ES professor doesn’t?”

It was after Haverson’s walkabout in the woods that he figured out what had caused his class to be so violently derailed by silence. “They’re not really taking notes on their laptops are they?” He allegedly asked his husband rhetorically. Unfortunately the trouble didn’t stop there. After Haverson’s husband answered what he thought was a non-rhetorical question Haverson threw a fluorescent light bulb at him. “Our marriage has been in tatters ever since he allowed laptops in class, things just haven’t been the same between us.”

Haverson plans to take go on sabbatical next year. “When I get out of priso- I mean… back from my research in the Arctic I’m never going to allow laptops in my class ever again. It’s just not worth it.”

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