Not Just A River In Egypt

I TA. I don't know if my theoretical editor who doesn't actually exist would approve of me using TA as a verb. But there it is. I do a lot of TA duties, so in my opinion, I TA. And I TA hard for one really difficult prof.

Professor Happycat.

In these past few months, I have witnessed this prof commit the following offenses. Consider it a kind of professorial rap sheet.

Refer to students in their class as "really good looking"
Suggest that because they are "really good looking" that they shouldn't be trying to "manipulate the disabilities centre" with a bogus diagnosis.
Dispute said "bogus diagnosis" in spite of a written Attending Physician's Statement
Refer to another TA as being a really good example of someone with a high IQ but a really low emotional IQ because they attended a conference to present a paper instead of coming to their class. IN FRONT OF AN ENTIRE LECUTRE HALL.
Lose the entire set of the class' midterms.
Blame this loss on a TA from another course, claiming that this TA must have taken them out of my mail cubby-hole. NB. My cubby couldn't be farther from this person's cubby and I have never even met them in person.
Upon being confronted about lying... denied and denied and denied until it became apparent that there was proof and that students were starting to complain about their behaviour.
Ask a TA to keep their bad behaviour between the two of them.
Throw up their hands and say it doesn't matter because they are resigning anyway.

Do I believe that they will resign?

That's a negatory, little buddy. This cat may not have any claws to speak of, but that was no purr neither. That was a low growl and I know to stay out of the way of a cornered kitty, regarless of their tenure status.

I've learned a little bit about bullying since the "unpleasantness" at the Org. I recognize someone tying to play a subordinate who has caught them with their metaphorical pants down. But this is the thing I just don't get. If you've been caught. If someone comes to you and says, "I have proof, I have 6 witnesses all willing to testify..." WHY oh WHY does the person just keep denying that they did it? And how on EARTH do they not learn from experience???

Seriously. There is a handful of students who heard you refer to another student by first and last name, mention a serious mental health diagnosis, and then say point-blank that they should not be accomodated in spite of a physician's note. And your response is that all the "beautiful people" are "ganging up on you?"

Tip #1, Buddy, seriously. STOP doing the harassing things that you are already accused of doing IF you want people to beleive that you never did them.

DEE-NI-AL. Even my cats know to bat their eyes, slick down their whiskers and look extra-cute when I catch sitting in next to a pile of poo on top of the coffee table. Or run.

The only thing that my naturally psychoanalytic little frontal lobe can come up with is that this prof WANTS to get fired. Who knows? Maybe they have a partner who is pressuring them to stay at a job they really hate? Maybe they can't pay the bills without the Sacajeweahs this gig brings in? But this is one prof who has been reusing the same exam and midterm since 2002 despite the class average consistently falling below 50%. This is not the behaviour of someone who wants to keep their job.

So how do you TA for someone like that?

You keep detailed notes and a sense of humour like a stoned teenager.

You do YOUR work. Which includes reporting inappropriate behaviour. You don't do THEIR work. And you attempt to professionally call them on blatent dumbassedness that will make your life harder if it goes unchecked.

And you insist that another TA that you have never met and whose last name couldn't be further from yours in the alphabetical listing of cubby holes did not root through your cubby and find an envelope with the same professor's name on it and take it without asking.

Oh, and drink. You should probably drink some alcohol...