“The first day of class, he wore an Iron Maiden shirt, and I thought he was cool,” noted an anonymous student on psychology professor Gene Dunkleman’s course evaluation. “Now, I think he’s trying a little too hard.”
“Maybe he’s insecure about his publishing credentials as his tenure deadline approaches,” said a colleague. “I’ve noticed this trend before, when instructors think they can earn service and teaching points by being cool.”
According to experts, symptoms of the Trying Too Hard virus include:
-
mentioning beer a little too often
- starting sentences with, “That’s nothing compared to the things I got away with in college.”
- dropping the F-bomb in class, waiting for a dramatic pause, and winking
- slipping commentary about modern pop culture or video games into unrelated conversations with students
“We’re not planning an intervention yet,” said the colleague, “but if he starts wearing a faux-halk the counseling center is prepared to step in.”
