Most kids know from a young age not to sleep in class. But if you’re in Professor Mark Talbert’s lecture hall, you better not even yawn.
A video has surfaced this past week of the Hotel Administration professor yelling at an unknown student in his Business Computing class (HADM 1174) for yawning, calling the perpetrator names and commanding them to leave.
“If I hear one more of these overly loud yawns… get up and walk the hell out! Yawn outside!” says an irate Talbert. “Stay outta class, whatever it is you need to do to get over it, I wanna know why 220 other people don’t find the need to do that. And you should be asking yourself, why am I the one loser who has to do that?”
When the serial yawner refuses to show himself, Talbert challenges the class to a psychological duel.
“We’ll stay here until that person admits who it is or the person sitting around them tells me who it is,” he says.
After a brief moment of silence, he pauses from his iClicker quiz to go on a brief quest throughout the classroom to find the student, iClicker in hand. Then a female student in the back tells Talbert that it came from somebody in the hallway. But she can’t fool Professor Talbert.
“I’ve been hearing it in this room, like, regularly,” he tells the student. “And I’m not sure I believe that.”
Talbert doesn’t plan to give up that easily though, as he proposes another solution after sending a warning to the class.
“Let me tell you something, guys, my bad side is as bad as my pleasant side is pleasant, don’t push me that way… By the way if somebody wants to anonymously tell me who it is, please do.”
After the scolding, a shaken up Talbert continues his lecture on computers in a tense voice. But at this point any logical person must be wondering: why would a student possibly yawn?! Perhaps it’s a reflection of his exhaustion after a week of intense prelims, maybe he’s tired after climbing up the slope in 40 degree weather, or maybe he just thinks learning about the size of a megabyte is kinda boring.
Apparently, Talbert’s Business Computing class is the most stressful one in the Hotel School each semester it’s offered. With last semester’s median grade of a B-, HADM 1174 obviously brings out the worst in everyone.
According to submissions on RateMyProfessors.com, a website used by students to anonymously comment on a course or instructor, Talbert has a reputation for off-color comments and outbursts. His low rating of 2.2/5 comes from contributors saying that Talbert is “not helpful at all” and “extremely arrogant.” One person recalled a time when “he yelled at us for not saying ‘bless you’ after he sneezed,” and another said “he patrols the class like we are in 5th grade.”
Professor Talbert’s video comes on the heels of the administration and the Student Assembly’s ongoing efforts to improve mental health and relationships between professors and students on campus. Safe to say somebody didn’t go to the SA’s Caring Community Week.
Even after the class ends, Talbert extends one final offer to the trouble-maker.
“I will accept an apology now from whoever interrupted my class, if he has the guts to come up and do that,” he says.
Since the video cuts off, it’s uncertain whether or not the professor got his apology. But given Talbert’s striking resemblance to Chris Christie (see above), I don’t blame the yawner if he didn’t.
[UPDATED 11/15/04:25]
http://www.bigredmycampus.com/articles.php?id=21
At last, the Cornell professors are enforcing discipline. If we want to call ourselves adults, we should act like adults. He should have made everyone stand for the rest of class.
i was thinking the tall guy from Penn & Teller…..Penn? Could have sworn I saw Talbert on Hells Kitchen a couple weeks ago….same grey suit and the classic Penn/Teller look!
It is time that professors remembered that they are employee’s of these institutions and that it is their job to teach, not act as the guardians of ‘politeness’. Clearly, from his behavior this instructor has no idea what proper decorum is and as such his ranting about it is both hypocritical and unprofessional. Small minded people tend in my experience to seek out positions of artificial authority as they lack the talent to gain it through respect earned from their actual talents and achievements.
I would hope that Cornell’s administrators will take some disciplinary action in this situation and publicly admonish the profess or for his behavior.
Poor, pampered students. Median grade a B-? Wow – try majoring in a hard core science, where the median for many courses is a C+.
I think this is only important because it is the hotel school. This isn’t like other classes where even though your professor may be top in his field does he have a real effect on your future. Many of these students are specializing in hospitality management where it is important that they make good impressions.
“try majoring in a hard core science, where the median for many courses is a C+.”
FALSE. At least at Cornell. Last semester there was one C+ (in math), and the semester before there was one C+ (in bio).
Mostly I find the video to be hilarious. If I were a professor, this would make me think twice about having my lectures filmed. We all have our bad sides, nobody wants theirs filmed. (See: Mel Gibson.)
I go to Central University and I’ve seen professors over there with better self-control than this! I’m pretty sure that the student’s yawn was not to be intentionally rude and apparently, this guy is not grasping the full attention of his students if they find his lecture boring as hell. And that verbally abusive tirade of his just makes him look even more unprofessional.
Having a college degree just means you’re intelligent…it doesn’t make you God of the campus, nor does it mean you can command respect whenever you please.
I also lecture at Cornell, and Mr. Talbert’s behavior in this instance embarrasses me. I could never conceive of treating my students in such a high-handed and arrogant manner. It destroys utterly the ability to maintain an open dialog, which is such a core component of effective teaching.
I dont lecture at Cornell, but elsewhere, and I couldnt give a damn if a student yawns or falls asleep, other than wondering if my lecture is boring and needs to be reworked. Students are tired, and work hard, and wasting the time of all the students who are paying attention is pointless and counterproductive.
And quizzing the students on the size of a megabyte? I cannot fathom a more useless thing to demand they know.
Can’t comment on how good a teacher is, but he seemed perfectly justified in this video. You can yawn without making a sound. Regardless of the reason, it really does come across as rude to the person talking. Plus, of course, yawning’s contagious. Even just the sound of it makes everyone else tired.
I’ve yawned in class before, but just got my head down and kept it quiet.
This is a joke, right? Yawning doesn’t actually require any sound. If a student made noise when yawning, it was a deliberate act of rudeness. I don’t see this man’s response as being unjustified. He gets very angry and manages to never sound unreasonable.
This guy should be fired. How majorly unprofessional. There are no words for how inappropriate his behavior was in this situation.
He’s not a “professor.” He’s a lecturer. Not even a Dr. He’s a Mr.
Mr. Talbert should, at the very least, have an intervention to aid him in approving his classroom manner. Meanwhile, how funny would it be if people took his direction and constantly and repeatedly got up and left the room when the urge to yawn came upon them.
During my time at Cornell, I had the honor of hearing many gifted professors. I would be hopeful that this gaffe in behavior is a waypoint on the path to excellence.
Talbert is a f***ing immature d*****bag. He can go f*** himself. Who does he think pays his salary. Cornell should fire the f****ing asshole.
I am quite surprised and horrified at the arrogance of this insecure guy. Get over the fact that you were not smart enough to get a PhD and that you are, frankly, in your flowery parlance, a “looser” at Cornell, which boosts faculty that not just has no dearth of doctorate degree holders but contains people who are certainly more accomplished in their fields than you can ever be in yours.
Also if your students don’t like your lectures, get over it. That is if you don’t want to do something to make them interesting, which, I am sure, you will not!!
Someone needs to refer this guy to counseling. And fast. He has some serious mental issues and he needs to get them sorted out. Cornell’s administration needs to wake up. If this insecure lecturer is not disciplined and he does not get psychological help, it is not a stretch to say that HE WILL BE THE NEXT AMY BISHOP!!!!
You guys covered this a few days ago, and theres a video remix thats awesome! Its the Yawn Outside video remix. Truly hilarious. http://www.campusbasement.com/cornell/maincampus/videos/411/overly-loud-yawn-remix-the-end-of-the-yawning-era-i-promise