Please note:

I have looked at the appropriate information for the procedures related to ENG 222 and ENG 322 – for dealing with a complaint – and so, did attempt to deal with this problem internally, with the lecturer.

I have tried to communicate my difficulties, most recently, by:
• Telephone, leaving a message, in 3 parts (on Tuesday 08-08-2006)
• In person (on Thursday 10-08-2006, between 17:10 and 18:20)

The telephone call on Tuesday was not returned, and when we spoke, in person, I did not feel it was communication, but a sort of one-way reactionary stream of justification. I felt, once again, that the lecturer was not permitting me to communicate my situation, and was once again admonished not to interrupt.

What I noticed in this latest encounter is a scenario where the lecturer feels entitled to verbally overwhelm the person she is talking to, and when an attempt is made to respond, one is immediately caught out for either interrupting, speaking too loud or something else. The bottom line is I once again did not feel listened to or understood, simply because I was not allowed to calmly and plainly explain things, and be allowed to calmly and plainly respond to her explanations.

Today I referred Prof Raftery to the letter attached below, suggesting that Prof Raftery might want to refer to it so she could clearly understand what my difficulties were. She asked whether the content of the letter was the same as the message I had left on her answering machine, and I replied that it contained that information (realating to the study guide) and more. She then appeared to dismiss the need to read the letter.

I’m sure that she will agree with me when I say our latest dialogue was quite unpleasant, and the degree of unpleasantness, from both sides, was both unwarranted and unnecessary.

I am obviously reluctant to broadcast the issues mentioned below at all, because I am obviously being evaluated by the lecturer to whom this is directed. I felt, for example, in the lecture immediately following our unpleasant discourse, very uncomfortable, and that the lecturer was not as sympathetic and receptive to me as had been the case in every other lecture. This happens when the trust that the student has in the lecturer (and that the student is respectful) has been damaged. And as a teacher, I am also aware of how distasteful it is when a learner writes a letter of grievance.

But I have done so as a last resort. I unfortunatelly feel compelled to do so.


Head of English Department
Free State University
Re: Lack of assistance – Prof Raftery

Dear Prof Greyling

As you may know, I am currently studying a number of English courses at the Free State University. I’ve attempted to do well in all my English subjects and although my circumstances have changed since starting my studies, I’ve managed a minimum mark of 71%. I’d like to do better this semester, and that forms part of the background for the paragraphs below.

On the first day of this semester I endeavored to collect all course materials required for this semester. I signed off on study guides and after specifically inquiring, was told that I had been given all materials. Today (08-08-2006) I discovered this was not so. I work at a Secondary School in the day and, only having returned fairly recently to South Africa, I don’t yet have a car, so I find it difficult to drive or cycle to the campus on errands in the afternoon that aren’t absolutely necessary.

I brought the fact – that I do not have the ENG 222 study guide – to the attention of my lecturer, Prof Raftery, today (08-08-2006). While I cannot fault her on the excellent quality of her lecturers (and her helpfulness and enthusiasm in answering questions during lectures), Prof Raftery was extremely abrupt and curt, with me, immediately after the lecture, outside her class. I am sure she wanted to focus on the business of sorting out her test, which was scheduled for the next period, and was irritated to be distracted from this.

Yes, she had a test in the next period, and in fact, I had to leave to go and write it as well. But I felt it was urgent enough – my not having a study guide – to interrupt my chase to the test room, to sort it out. Prof Raftery in any event was not invigilating this test, as she had to remain where she was, in the lecture room, to supervise a tutorial class. So she in fact did not need to hurry to get there. She did not provide me with any means or solution nor did she seem particularly concerned about my problem. She seemed dismissive of my problem, and brushed it off as my problem. Fair enough. As I’ve reported above, I did make the effort to get the study guide, and was also specifically informed then that all documents were handed over. But Prof Raftery’s attitude to me felt rude and lacked sympathy, and she certainly did not assist me, and was not helpful, in any way. What bothers me is this is by no means an isolated incident.

Once again: Today’s incident would ordinarily not bother me, but I can add at least three other incidents from memory that do bother me. Given this context, this pattern, I am not very happy, today, at all.

• The first incident was also very recent. I called Prof Raftery on Monday (yesterday) because I have been sick for a week (see doctor’s note attached) and two weeks earlier I was unable to ascertain the exact locations for lectures because either no one pitched up (to the official timetable) or there was a note on the door (example, at CRS1) directing us elsewhere, at a different time and different place. As I recall, in the first week, there were no lecturers whatsoever. Then, in the following week I continued to miss lectures, arriving to another empty classroom at N2. So I urgently needed clarification on where lecturers were, since the official timetable was once again useless. When Prof Raftery returned my call, she began to quickly, and tersely, provide the timetable, but I was not ready to write down any of the information, and since she instructed me not to interrupt, the result was that I was unable to capture any of it. I finally got all the relevant information from another student (who fortunately also studies both 2nd and 3rd year subjects) later in the day.
• In the previous semester there was a similar disruption, in terms of classes and times changing, and I aimed to avoid missing lecturers this semester. But to no avail. Another confusing component of last semester resulted in the study guide being inverted (inner material used first). This I believe was also Prof Raftery’s responsibility. Of course, all these things happen, as life is not perfect, and mistakes creep in. In the same way, I (and other students) have been willing to allow Prof Raftery – last semester – to consistently overrun lectures, sometimes well into other lecture periods (20 minutes was the most time). In the last two (most recent lectures), Professor Raftery also overshot the scheduled time by 5-10 minutes. We’ve tolerated these imperfections, yet Prof Raftery appears to expect no mistakes or inconsistencies from her students. This, to my mind, is improper.
• I also asked Prof Raftery – in person, at her office – for assistance in terms of the exact timetable last semester and was referred to the university computer system at the computer lab. It struck me then, as a first impression, as particularly unhelpful.

Finally, and most upsetting, was my wanting to contribute to a publication Prof Raftery edits during my first days on campus, and her response was, without even knowing who I was, to immediately dismiss my interest by mocking my apparent lack of aptitude and questioning my qualifications. I would have thought a prospective lecturer would welcome and support initiative, even if it might fall short of such a high standard. As I teach, I understand the aim of the educator should be to encourage the effort to learn, not to discourage it, or be in any way dismissive or contemptuous of an attempt to improve oneself or improve one’s work, performance and effort. Her flip, trivializing action led me to not even attempt to write a dissertation on Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway.

I have been engaged and enthusiastic in all Prof Raftery’s classes, which is why I find her attitude to me, after lectures, surprisingly hurtful and unhelpful. She said today that her overrunning lectures was my fault because she had not interrupted me or prevented me from contributing.

I hope to be assured of more friendly assistance in the future.
Regards
Nick van der Leek
1XXXXXXXXXX / Tel: 0729XXXXXXXX /08-08-2006__23:20/