Hmm...

[stoutfellow]

The events I'm about to describe took place on Tuesday and Wednesday. The story itself is not particularly interesting, but there is one item in it which, on reflection, strikes me as rather odd. I'm not going to identify the oddity; I'm curious as to whether it will strike anyone else.

This semester, I'm teaching a late class Tuesday/Thursday, starting at 7:30. About 6:30 this past Tuesday, one of the janitors came by with a rather upset student. (She'd been looking for someone with authority; since the secretaries and most of the professors had long since gone home, she'd latched on to him, and he managed to find me.) She told me that she had registered for a certain math class, scheduled for - call it Room A. She'd gone to that room, only to find an economics class in possession. She'd been directed (I'm not sure by whom) to another room in another building - call it Room B. Room B had turned out to be unoccupied. Desperate, she'd come over to the departmental offices, trying to find out what was going on. I began digging around, and was only able to confirm her story: two classes had been scheduled for the same room, at the same time. All I could think of to do was to suggest that she return to Room B and see if the professor and/or the class had shown up.

The next day, curious, I sought out the professor in question. He explained that his class had, indeed, been moved to Room B, starting the next week; they had been temporarily displaced to Room C, which was next door to Room A. I asked if any student had come in late, saying that she'd have gotten there fifteen or twenty minutes late. He said that yes, a black woman had arrived at Room C about that time. "Was she black?" I paused and thought for a moment before saying, "Yes. Yes, she was black." We agreed that the likeliest explanation was that she had, indeed, caught up with him.

Okay. Do you see anything odd there? Comments, guesses, explanations?

Comments

[toraks.livejournal.com]

Why the heck wasn't the class in room B if it was empty that week already? And who told the girl it was going to be there?

If they were in room C next door to room A, why didn't the girl see it right away? Well, actually, if I had the wrong room I wouldn't wander into all the nearby rooms, so maybe not.

How did anyone else know to go to room C? No note on the door -- standard practice in my experience?

[kd5mdk.livejournal.com]

How did she discover Room C?

[countrycousin.livejournal.com]

Why wasn't there a note given to the instructor in Room A, since it was right next door? Something put on the whatever-color-you-use-board?

Also, don't know the composition of your student body; in VT the fact that she was black would have been a significant identifier; not many are. Other places I've been it would have been only mildly confirming, but it is in addition to the mildly confirming being female. An approximately equally likely hypothesis is that more than one student got lost and only one got found - e.g. there was, indeed, a note, but not prominent and only one student found it - or peeked in next door to ask. THere must have been interaction between the two instructors at the start of the period.

[pompe.livejournal.com]

Different buildings, huh? How close are they? Are they connected?

If they are not and based on the times involved, I'd say she didn't take your advice and went back for Room B in the second building, she went back for room A in the first building and found the class in the room next to it.

But I find it odd she didn't check the next-door room at once, that's usually the first thing I do when a room is empty.

[hornedhopper.livejournal.com]

The oddity is perfectly clear. You have seniority; why did you *choose* to teach a NIGHT class~!!! (g)


I guess I find it odd that a) there was no large, explanatory note on the door written by the displaced instructor, b) the Room A instructor did not tell the student that the displaced class was located temporarily in Room B, and, c) you have no color filter.

Now, are you going to tell *us* what *you* found odd?

[hornedhopper.livejournal.com]

Er, my b) was supposed to read: the Room A instructor did not tell the student that the displaced class was located temporarily in Room C.

[stoutfellow.livejournal.com]

c) you have no color filter.

Clarify, please? I think I know what you mean, but I'd like confirmation.

[hornedhopper.livejournal.com]

I meant that it wasn't something that had stood out to you; she was a student, first, and a female, second. (Or perhaps reversed) It wasn't until the other instructor mentioned that the student had been black, and you had to think for a minute, that it came up at all.

[stoutfellow.livejournal.com]

That was the odd thing, yes. Whether that speaks of general obliviousness or something more creditable, I do not venture to guess.

[carbonelle.livejournal.com]

Heh. I was going to guess that the young lady took the poor janitor as an authority figure.

[stoutfellow.livejournal.com]

why did you *choose* to teach a NIGHT class~!!!

Most of our advanced classes are afternoon or evening. They're more fun to teach. They're sought after. That's why. (Even though the buses have stopped running by then and I have to mooch a lift off someone...)

[hornedhopper.livejournal.com]

I know, but it made you laugh, didn't it?

The once-a-week, three-hour conversation class was pretty exhausting to teach for me. You had to be lively the whole time to keep all engaged and awake.