So I was kicked out of a college class for my first time ever today, for looking at something on my laptop that wasn't related to class. The teacher had caught me doing that a couple times before. I'm considering whether I should send her an e-mail, or whether it would just make her angrier? I'm thinking it would go something like this:

"I don't really blame you for calling me out. I'm sorry if you feel like I don't care about your class. Because actually, I usually tell people I think you're a great professor. I was listening to what you were saying today, even though I was also trying to take care of something else. I want to say though that I have noticed other people in our class doing things like drawing pictures for another class or checking e-mail, and that back in the first part of the semester when you said something to me about not participating in class enough I was in the majority of the class in not doing all the reading every single day. So while you're within your right to kick me out, it makes me feel like maybe you're focusing a disproportionate amount of attention on me, which is an uncomfortable feeling. But whatever, I am exhausted today and I've been feeling like I got food poisoning from lunch, so I'm taking a nap."

If your going to write a letter why would you say "whatever" at the end? It just ruins any sympathy she feels for you. In my opinion if you want to talk to her, talk to her directly. And don't bring up other people so much, she caught you and not someone else. Accept the fact you got caught. And teachers seem to always be harder on the people they know will succeed

Email? What about going to their office and making an appointment.

It's a class of 15. I talk one-on-one with this professor all the time, plus it would feel kind of awkward to me to make an appointment just for this. Usually when we talk one-on-one it's on friendly terms.

Also, she won't be in her office again until Monday.

In stead of saying "whatever" in the last sentence (which does sound dismissive), what about beginning the sentence with "Anyhow,..."?

Also, bringing up other people is sort of the whole point of this e-mail. I don't think me just sucking up to her would do much good, considering it's not the first time she's gotten onto me for the same behavior.

An email is very impersonal. If you want to discuss this, you need to do it face to face. I agree with the others though that you need to leave the other students out as it is very immature to call attention to the others when you were the one caught, especially after a few warnings already.

Leave the "whatever" part out, sounds too childish.

Face to face is the adult way to handle things of this nature.

How old are you? If this was a higher level University class I'd say go to her office and apologize, Don't send an email, it's too impersonal and makes it look like you don't consider the matter to be important but just felt like you should say something.

Also don't mention what other people are up to in class, just say sorry and keep it short.

I am NOT going to say something to her without bringing up other people. Because what the heck would I say?

I'm sorry?

She's not going to buy that. The reason she said she was kicking me out is because I've done the same thing before. If I apologize she's going to know the only reason I'm doing it is because she kicked me out...

(And I don't mean that I'm kicked out permanently. Just for one day. We've only got 1 week of classes left.)

Edit: I'm 22

Bringing up other people is just immature and makes you look like a tattle tale. If you have done it before and have been caught, then she was within her rights to kick you out.

If there's only a week left why even say anything? You can show her your sorry by not doing other stuff during her lectures again. She will see that you are acting better.

Besides if you mention other people are not paying attention too that doesn't really change the fact you were surfing the net and not paying attention, it will actually work against you cause she'll just say "is that supposed to make it better then?"

Well and that's what I was asking, whether it would just make her angrier.

I don't think a simple "sorry" would help that much in this case though... I was thinking of taking another class with her, maybe that's a bad idea. Also, she's my advisor -she never really does anything in that regard -she keeps forgetting she is even, but maybe that's a reason I should have a discussion with her. Still don't know what I'd say though.

But seriously, I'm the only one she's ever gotten onto in class. It's just a bit odd.

I'm used to teachers more leaving you alone about these thing in college, especially when you're not disturbing the class.

I've been on the instructor's end of this, and I can tell you that bringing up other people is the last thing you want to do. My colleagues and I hate it when students come to us to apologize for this kind of thing, and the "other people do it too" line just ticks us off. Either say nothing about this incident or email her a very brief apology and leave it at that. Professors don't want students coming to their office with downturned faces, etc. Your best bet is, by far, to just move on. (The main reason we hate the sort of thing you did is that it really distracts us when we're teaching. You really can tell when students are off-book, and this can play havoc with your ability to deliver a lecture, run a seminar, etc. It's not ego: Teaching a university class takes a lot of concentration.)

One more thing: I wouldn't feel sheepish about taking another class with her. Put this incident behind you and, if you take her class again, demonstrate *courtesy* and--this is a big one--*maturity*.

My guess is that she's picked up on others but that you have a particular "tell" that either gets under her skin or is just really obvious. I had a student last semester who did the same thing you did. I knew others did likewise (this is why some of my colleagues ban laptops), but this guy was just so blatant about it that students around him would watch him, or his screen, and this made it all the more distracting for me. Imagine seeing a group of people huddled around a table staring at something. You can't see what they're looking at, but they are clearly really into it. I bet you'd find that pretty distracting. So my guess is that she has noticed other students notice you and so singled you out. (Or, maybe, she's just kind of a b**ch. There's always that possibility.)

I can positively assure you I have not been distracting other students and that none of them have been looking at me or my screen. We're a small class, and I sit in the second row, which is effectively the back.

I wouldn't blame her for banning laptops though. One of my other professors did the same thing. I actually think it's a good idea, overall.

I think my "tell" if you want to call it that is that today I was looking back and forth between her and my screen but I wasn't really doing any typing. The last time (and the only other time I can remember her getting onto me) was when we were watching a movie in class and I was checking my e-mail (which of course, is obvious.)

But seriously, I've seen other students do other homework in that class such as using colored pencils to draw pictures. We're a class of 15, how do you NOT catch something like that?

And the kid sitting next to me who also had a laptop today, well, he was typing so much I would have sworn he was doing more than just taking notes... There isn't actually that much to take notes on in that class.

*sigh*

The only other thing I can think of, well I've been a few minutes late to class several times. Not the majority of the time, but not infrequently either. It's partially because I have back-to-back classes and sometimes need to print something out before class. Today it was because I was in the bathroom being sick to my stomach. But if that was the major irritant it I'd expect her to comment on it specifically to me. Oh well...

Consider that she may just have been in a particularly foul mood. Some days I find things getting under my skin that I normally wouldn't even notice. But in a class of 15, sometimes there is weird interpersonal stuff. I still think your best bet is just to put it behind you, be on time, be courteous (but not sloppy about it), and concentrate on doing good work. The same hold if you take another class with her: Professors really like good work from smart, diligent students. I've had plenty of students I wouldn't want to have lunch with (in fact, I don't think I'd care to have lunch with any of them), but I like them *in the classroom*. I, of course, don't know your instructor from Eve, and am not in any position to make predictions about her future actions or responses to you. But I've found, chatting with my colleagues, that most of us don't give much thought to this kind of stuff outside of the classroom--there's too much other stuff going on, at work and in our lives. In the absence of some further development, just move on.

I'm curious: What is the class?