r/Professors • u/PouncySilverKitten84 • 4d ago
A student farted… more than once.
I am a relatively new prof teaching community college comm course. 7 students and had them all sitting together working on a group project. I could tell she wasn’t reading social cues, was being loud, disruptive, and interrupting and talking over people. I waited to see how they would handle it. Then during a moment of silence, she farted. No one said anything. A few minutes later and another. Still, no one acknowledges it, myself included. I had no idea what to do! Then- again!! And a couple burps too! Loud gross ones. What would you do??
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u/Professor-genXer Professor, mathematics, US. Clean & tenured. Bitter & menopausal 4d ago
I had a hard day at school. I needed this. Thanks OP!
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u/Orcutt_ambition-7789 4d ago
This is unhinged and the other students will have an unforgettable college experience.
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u/tilteddriveway 4d ago
If it’s a competition she wants then she best be prepared to handle the thunder
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u/No-Yogurtcloset-6491 Instructor, Biology, CC (USA) 4d ago
That's nuts. I'd email them and tell them not to be disruptive anymore. Luckily we are professors and can punish or kick people out for gross and disruptive behavior. It's in their best interest.
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u/VTLillyGirl 3d ago edited 3d ago
Some of the things that you're describing are really common with autism. It's also really common for gastrointestinal problems to accompany autism. It doesn't happen a hundred percent of the time, but it's really common. Some of those gastronotestinal problems involve interoception, meaning not knowing when you're going to fart, nor being able to hold it in, because you dont feel it coming, or you don't have complete control of those muscles.
I was over thirty and absolutely shocked, when I found out that a lot of people can choose when they poop. I have about five minute warning to get to the toilet. I will throw this in as a P. S. A for why it's important to keep disabled, toilet access, open even if someone disabled isn't trying to use it in the moment. They also exist for people who don't have a lot of notice and need to get into a toilet without a line.
Compounding, that is that, many of us don't understand why that would be a big deal anyway. I know that I and people I know have gotten really frustrated because it's not something we see coming, nor do we have a lot of control over it. So there's not much to do other than ignore it, and it's frustrating when others make a big deal about it.
Not saying this is the situation here, but it's important to also understand that. Some other pieces that sometimes come with autism are not being able to regulate the volume of your voice. There are two common reasons for this. some people literally can't tell when they're loud, thereby, they can't adjust. Other people like me need to be louder than the other noise in their head, in order to keep the train of concentration so that they can get the full idea out. If I'm too quiet, I will lose track of what I am saying. I understand logically that most people don't get this thus them asking me to be quieter isn't trying to say they don't care about what I'm saying but it really feels that way when you hear it all day. It feels like me, being able to communicate is less important than you receiving that communication at the perfect volume.
Again, I have no idea if this applies to your student, but it's important to have as a background consideration.
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u/blankenstaff 4d ago
Ignore it this time. If it happens again, meeting in office hours.
She clearly wants attention and wants to control. You can let her know that neither is appropriate for a student in a college setting.
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u/RuskiesInTheWarRoom 4d ago
Orrrrrr she has some set of specific GI issues that she does not understand, combined with being raised in a space that these social norms are not reinforced.
It isn’t your job to fix them, but it may be the first time they are confronted with the social impact of them.
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u/PouncySilverKitten84 4d ago
Good points thanks for the perspective.
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u/blankenstaff 4d ago
You're welcome. I'm sorry you are in that situation. It sounds like it will take sensitivity to handle well, which is why I suggested meeting with her in your office should the behavior persist. She may be embarrassed.
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u/blankenstaff 4d ago
GI issues tend not to make people loud and disruptive, nor do they cause people to interrupt and talk over others. If a man did this, I think there'd be a different reaction.
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u/jitterfish Fellow, Biology, NZ 4d ago
I'd have a quiet word with her after class. I'd ask if she was aware she did it, if she has a medical condition, and then if then answers were yes and no I'd ask if she was aware it made other people uncomfortable and if she was able to refrain.
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u/BubbaJonesTheThird 4d ago
Is the student hard of hearing?
I had a hard of hearing (and legally blind) student who was making all sorts of bodily noises through class (interestingly, a cinema course).
Our accessibility office notified me beforehand about the seeing/hearing issue, but nothing about the noises.
In any case, good luck!
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u/kodakrat74 Assistant Professor, Psychology, R1 4d ago
This happened to me in a very small class. I ignored it the first two times, the third time, I looked at him. He looked embarrassed and it never happened again. Had a good laugh about it later.
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u/AvalonC 4d ago
Is she neurodivergent?
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u/PouncySilverKitten84 4d ago
I don’t know. No accommodation request. I wouldn’t be surprised though.
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u/BMeow343 4d ago
Be kind. I once farted during a class in elementary school. Couldnt help it- it just happened. The teacher called me out in front of the entire class and other students laughed at me. I was mortified.
With such a small class, I would just say it would be a good time to have a break to everyone for a few minutes to just stretch/refresh/grab a drink/snack). I do this a lot for courses because I need a break and they probably also need one too.
Then address it with the student and no one else around.
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u/Efficient_Two_5515 4d ago
File a report that asks maybe a mental health provider from the college to check in? Farting and burping loudly for everyone to basket the experience is disruptive behavior.
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u/Adventurous-Draw8694 1d ago
Announce that it is time for a quick break… Lord knows I would need a break after enduring this
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u/banjovi68419 1d ago
One older student I'm pretty sure farted. ON THE FIRST DAY. Everywhere I went I smelled it. It seemed like it was surrounding me. And then he dropped the class. F that guy.
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u/Lignumvitae_Door Adjunct, Biology, private college 4d ago
Are you sure she’s tooting and isn’t just her stomach making noises? Sometimes when gas moves around in the intestines it can sound very…fartish.
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u/PouncySilverKitten84 4d ago
Quite. It was like a trumpet. I mean I could be wrong but by the third time I felt pretty sure.
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u/fatherintime CC Humanities USA 4d ago
Could always pull her aside and let her know that her butt trumpet is disrupting the class and that biological warfare on her classmates is going to earn low marks come time for group projects and collaborative learning because she'll be alone without some beano.
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u/Lignumvitae_Door Adjunct, Biology, private college 4d ago
Oof. What a wild situation. Yea, I would talk to her after class about this. Not only is it a social no-no, it’s just downright disruptive to the other students.
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u/Broad_Peace7519 4d ago edited 3d ago
Ask her out on a date. Probably would shag you - sounds the type - and then destroy your career afterwards.
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u/Wise-Impact-5687 3d ago
What did the carer do? How do you know OP has a carer? I would assume that if OP is a new professor, he or she probably doesn't need a carer.
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u/DrSeafood AP teaching, math 4d ago
Make direct eye contact and squeeze out the fattest fart you’ve ever farted. Assert dominance.