You are SO right!!! Because some people often don't want to be inconvenienced or strayed from 'their' plans....so many more important things can be missed. Just maybe the situation was a learning experience for the adjunct. Hopefully she will re-evaluate how she deals with conflicts in the future. I can understand if she was concerned for all the students in whole....but the fact that she ignored the student when he raised his hand really breaks my heart.

I kick my computer when its slow........

Fortunately for me, my computer doesn't have feelings and has nothing to learn from me....I turn mine off or walk away if it's not working efficiently for me. Not quite the same as if I was being paid to teach others but don't treat each paying student with the same respect and importance. I believe that only people either NOT in touch with their feelings or who are completely self-absorbed would vote no to the poll above. I'm not saying the lady should be fired....but definitely her actions should be addressed so this doesn't happen again.

You have a point...however the professor ignored the student when he raised his hand in class the next day. I completely feel that the professor could have handled this way differently and her actions should not be ignored that way she can do her job better in the future. That is what life is all about, learning from our mistakes and bettering ourselves (even for the sake of others).

I have automatically assumed that the question was important because the poor sod braved the disapproval (or worse, scorn and derision) of his peers trying to ask it. I'm just groping for a better solution than either shutting him down or having other students "enjoy the show". Think of it, passing a note is a perfect way: the lad is spared the laugh, the lecture isn't interrupted, and it would work for any type of speech handicap.

No, it wouldn't; the perfection of the pass-the-note approach is that in a big class, nobody really knows who the note comes from, even the people who passed it. All the professor should have done is to allow (and encourage) the notes to be passed; it is less disruptive than interrupting the lecture flow, anyway.

Now this could really do a job on this student's confidence in a negative way. Maybe everyone should go to see the movie "The King's Speech". With caring, love and help, this student would come out on top. This Professor was insensitive and I feel a teacher, such as this, should not be in ANY class teaching ANY child. He is sending the wrong message to our kids and there are enough of those such messages going around. Our kids do not need more of this negative attention. This is why I hate tenure. You do not get it in any other type job. A job such as teaching is so very important and we have too many teachers, like this one, teaching our kids. Get rid of tenure and, definitley, this Professor. He might want to get a job where he does not have to deal with personal things. This is just my opinion.

It's a good solution, however, it would need to be the same for all the students. The one student should not be singled out as the only one 'handing' in their question on paper (unless that is how the student chose to do it). This student obviously wanted to be heard verbally and had little or no self-consciousness about his impediment.

Of course, it has to be openly offered to all students. I believe that there could be students who would just prefer to use a note rather than oral question regardless of speech impediments or absence thereof - out of personal shyness, for example.