We scoured the halls looking for profs to weigh in on this snoozy subject
Illustration by Zoe Bechtold.
We’ve just passed the time of year when it becomes increasingly difficult to stay awake in class. With finals now upon us, the Martlet decided to ask professors around campus what they think when they do see a student doze off while they’re teaching.
In a Reddit post from over a month ago, some professors weighed in on their thoughts about sleepy students. Here’s what the profs we spoke to had to say:
Dr. Rogério de Sousa, Physics
“My first thought is that I must be boring, that I should teach with more excitement. I’m very nice to my students and I want them to enjoy my class. If they’re sleeping, either they’re tired, they didn’t sleep the previous night, or my class is boring.”
Dr. Erin Kelly, English
“My take is that it’s my job to make sure that there is a good learning environment for everyone in the class. If someone sleeping in class is disturbing other people and interfering with other people’s learning, then I need to do something in the moment. Otherwise, I think the only person they’re hurting by sleeping is themselves, because they’re missing class, and heck, it might be because they are ill or they have something difficult going on.”
Dr. Pierre-Luc Landry, French
“I will always think that that student probably did not have enough sleep — too busy with coursework, or [a job] outside of the class…. It happened to me before when I was a student — I did fall asleep in some courses, unfortunately, because I was overworked and I didn’t have time to sleep…. It distracts me but it also kind of makes me feel bad for the student, so I don’t want to make it a big deal.”
Dr. Scott McIndoe, Chemistry
“One of the things about students falling asleep in your class is that I think there’s a lack of awareness among students that we can see them as well as they can see you. So whether they’re talking, or whether they’re sleeping, or on their phone, if I’m looking at you, I can tell that you’re doing all those things.”
Dr. Alison Murray, Anthropology
“I almost just think it’s funny. Because, usually, it would be right after lunch in the class that I have right when you want to be napping. Every once in a while, I’ll see someone sitting there with their eyes shut, and then it just makes me chuckle. I have fallen asleep in class before when I was an undergrad — right after lunch.”
