btw, this:

quote:

slits cut in her mask... then there was the guy who wore a mesh bag like you would buy tangerines in ...

is one of the things I worry about with being in the classroom. Faculty are being encouraged to "deescalate" if there's a problem with a student not wearing a mask during class. I don't see how we can deescalate while also insisting on mask compliance....

I will certainly use university policy as an excuse (i.e., it's not my preference, but I have to uphold the university's policy)... but if there's a student wearing an "un-mask" deliberately, I don't see how it could be anything other than unpleasant for all involved for me to insist on proper masks....

Sigh.

I don't envy you, SK. I agree with your assessment, and I think that it's truly unfair to ask professors, teachers, or other "front line" people to enforce mask laws in the current political climate.

I'm not sure how you de-escalate if someone is aggressively not wearing a mask to prove some bizarre misguided point. I can imagine several scenarios where young, angry students on both sides want to make a point, including making their point with violence. Do you have access to university police/security? I doubt that you would need to use it, but if you ever do it would be the wrong time to try to google the emergency number.

I think about the only de-escalation strategy you have is to take the personal approach--something like "I understand you don't want to wear a mask. However, it makes me feel very uncomfortable and I'm afraid that I won't be able to give everyone their money's worth in class when people aren't wearing masks. Can you please reconsider for my sake?"

But yuck.

Hopefully everything goes just fine.

The university policy does include next-steps, including calling campus police as a last resort. None of us want to do that.

But teachers etc. are inevitably going to be the front line, just because we are there. We are the ones interacting with students.

I think the de-escalation thing is to try to discourage faculty from having direct confrontations with students.

But if I have a student in my class, not properly masked, who also refuses the mask I offer -- I have an extra box of disposables that I plan to take to class with me for anyone who needs one. I don't want lack of a mask to be a reason a student feels they can't come to class. Anyway, if I have a student who refuses to mask up properly, I will cancel class and leave the classroom.

That, I think, is what administration wants to avoid.

But until they are the ones actually in the classroom, they can kiss my *ss if they think I'm going to teach anyone not properly masked.

You see what covid has done to me. I never used to talk like that....

P.S. btw, that's not how I will approach students. I will say "I'm sorry you don't feel comfortable wearing a mask [or whatever] but this is university policy, and we all have to abide by it."

So I'll start that way, and take a gentle approach right up until the point that the gentle approach no longer works.

As an aside, this semester I have a new ... job title? ish? Anyway, in addition to my regular position (asst. prof) I am also now a program director (which, in normal times would be something to celebrate, it's kind of a big deal to me.... but anyway)

As program director, I teach a one-credit intro class that all students in the program have to take (it includes Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Spanish languages). This class meets once a week. But unlike my other classes (I usually teach upper level Japanese-language content courses) this class will be full of first-year students I have never met before. It seems to me if I am going to experience any trouble, it will be in that class. Because the other classes are all students I already have a teacher-student relationship with, if you see what I mean....

I didn’t have one (I know...). But a local place is offering free wills for teachers so I’ll be doing that before I go back. Fun times.

We set up our trust a while back. Right now we are working on how to structure releasing funds to our daughter and what charities we want to leave money to.

But I don't plan to leave this mortal coil any time soon.