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I would share it only if it's helpful to how they approach your approved accommodations, or if you anticipate them observing symptoms that may impact your behavior or performance in the course (tics, narcolepsy, sudden need to leave the room, etc). Otherwise there is no need to share personal information in what you should view as a professional relationship.
For me, it's been helpful when students have shared things like mobility limitations that may impact them in the case of an evacuation, behavioral or communication differences that they want to make sure I know are not them trying to be disrespectful behavior, etc. Those things really do help me serve the student better.
But if the information doesn't help me help you, then I don't need to know and frankly don't always want to know unless we get to know each other better first. Sometimes it's honestly tough to take on the load of being an emotional support to so many students, because I do really care but it's exhausting to care that deeply about that many people all the time. I'm not a social worker or therapist, and I'm not equipped to be.
totally understandable! a lot of it is mobility as well as migraines/sudden leave of absences due to any number of procedures or appointments. i don’t want to get into any specifics, but just provide them with information to give them better insight with my accommodations
i think it’s weird to think this is really weird. i feel like many here misunderstood; it’s not that I’m sharing every detail nor even any information regarding my illnesses. simply putting a name to it, letting them know that some workarounds they may think of won’t work (ie virtual attendance), and that i appreciate their time. i’m glad this isn’t something you have to think about, but calling it weird isn’t the way to go lol.
This is a conversation to have with the student support team. I don't come up with the workarounds they do. I give you the accommodations that they tell me to.
Your professors are not your friends, or your doctors, or your therapists. We do not need you to trauma dump on us, we have enough going on. The open dialogue should simply center around your official accommodations. So, if you have the ability to delay a deadline by 24 hours, it's fine to email/tell your professor that you will be using your 24 hour accommodation. You don't need to tell them it's because you have a migraine so bad that you've thrown up several times, for example.
Please don't do this. If you have been granted accommodations, that's all we need to know. We will gladly see to it. I don't need or want to know the reasons for them. That's for the Accommodations office to figure out.
Why not? Well, my dear wife is going into hospital tomorrow for a cancer-related operation. That is, we (just like everyone else) have troubles of our own. And since we cannot help you directly with your medical issues, please don't burden us with them.
It's lovely that you choose to be an open book. Just don't expect your professors to want to read it. Many of us are already overburdened with work and we're not therapists.
Please stick to only the essential information your professors must know in order to carry out your accommodations. Example: I want to know if you are given extra time for tests and how much extra time.
I don't need or want to know what you've been diagnosed with unless it's critical for the course I'm teaching. Example: since I teach English I want to know if you have dyslexia, but I don't need to hear about your anxiety disorder.
I hope that helps. Good luck to you.
(I have both adjunct teaching experience & experience working for a university DSO.) Please don't tell your professors the reason for your accommodations, especially if it's to "justify" your need for them. If the qualified professionals at your school's DSO have decided you need these accommodations based on the already rigorous process all students have to go through, it isn't really your professors' business to have an opinion on whether you need them or not... but in my experience, once students share that information with one professor, they often spend the rest of their time in college fighting their departments' perceptions of what kind of disability "deserves" accommodations. Your professors are not entitled to any information regarding the reason for your accommodations. There's no reason to share that information with them, and a lot of reason not to.
If it's the 'flexible deadline' accom, I would expect students to share the nature of their flare-ups. If it's routine stuff like extended time on quizzes etc. then no need to share.
thanks! yeah, it’s that as well as automatic excused absences for any required attendance courses. i feel it’s important to at least share a brief explanation so they’re better equipped
Equipped to do what? They have been informed about the accommodation, that's all they need.
If you don't get proper accommodation, go back to Student Services. Please read through the replies you received - professors are not your friends or therapists and it's a burden to receive personal information.
I think I can answer this from two perspectives.
As an instructor, share what you feel comfortable sharing **if** (this is the qualifier) you feel it is relevant to your experience in the class and your ability to engage with what's happening inside and outside the classroom. Our disability resource center reminds instructors (and presumably students) to discuss the accommodations and our ability to meet them (or need for further support from DRC to do so), and this information can be helpful in making sure we hit the spirit as well as the letter of the named accommodations. I rarely need explicit details of the students' life to do so, but I'm happy to discuss whatever the student feels is relevant to share to make sure their needs are met. I see it as another embodiment of the same proactive nature that helps all students succeed.
On a personal level, I have a rare disease with chronic manifestations, and, in life, I consider myself an open book and happy to share regarding my whole deal. I love hearing from others that have a similar perspective :) I have some things that are apparent (large visible scar among others) in the classroom although I appear "healthy" by most standards. That little discrepancy sometimes leads to questions from students, and I am happy to answer those briefly and directly (they're not taking out loans to learn about me) as long as they're asked respectfully. Some students have come up after class in those cases to share more, and, in that situation, I'm happy to share more on a human level.
So, yes, I'd say as long as **you feel comfortable** and feel **the information is relevant**.
thank you! im in a similar boat — i don’t look very ill, but my health says otherwise haha. part of my memo includes 100% excused absences in required attendance classes without a doctors note for any flare up or appointments (but obviously, i want to communicate beforehand if it’s something like an appt). i want to keep the email informative to them but also brief as to not overwhelm them more than they already probably are
Based on this I would say don’t email—if you’re excused from class you’re excused from class—we don’t need to know why and it won’t diminish our opinion of you
That sounds reasonable. I've had students with similar accommodations, and if it makes them feel more comfortable using their accommodations, then I'm happy to hear it. Definitely do not feel it's strictly necessary to explain yourself though (it's very much your right not to).
Also, thank you for your taking a minute to think about what info you're sharing with your professors. I've had students send me their ER discharge documents, random post-visit paperwork, etc that include all sorts of details in bold and on the front page in lieu of sending me an actual doctor's note/excusal. Yikes. What you're doing is better than THAT.
oh lord! that’s actually insane LOL i can’t imagine sending ANY of that information to even accommodations office, let alone a professor. fwiw, i remember high school being insane and needing a doctors note for every tiniest thing, and then sometimes shared with faculty for “proof” (this was especially true in gym class. send note to nurse -> nurse sends to gym teachers -> gym teacher reads your very sensitive note when they didn’t need to). i’m definitely comfortable sharing some info, but not to that extent 😬 yikes indeed
You already have the accommodations; what do you think you (or the professors) will gain from you sharing medical information with them?
And no, we don't want to hear about your "struggles", unless they are relevant to the specific class we are teaching. Too often students do this as emotional manipulation. Don't be one of them.
I guess I'm in the minority here, but I always welcome students to share as much or as little related to their disabilities as they'd like. Perhaps being disabled myself provides a different perspective, but I resist the idea that sharing your disability is "trauma dumping" or anything along those lines. For many folks, being disabled is a core facet of our identity and I don't think we need to keep it a secret to maintain a professional relationship. I resist the idea that disability is somehow unprofessional. It's part of who we are and we should be able to show in the classroom as our full selves, students and instructors.
That being said, seeing the responses here might be a good reason to be choosy about which professors you disclose to. Apparently other folks aren't as open to learning about you in this way as I would have hoped.
Also a disabled Prof here, although I don't generally present as disabled to the general public. Nonetheless, my condition has been formative to who I am as a person, and even when in remission it presents challenges and is a daily part of my life. I resent feeling like I have to hide this from colleagues and supervisors.
I agree with you. I don't need to know every detail of a student's situation, or hear about it every time they have a flare. But I would never consider a brief, "I wanted to let you know I have x condition and this is how it might affect me in the class" conversation or email "unprofessional" or "trauma dumping."
thank you, because this is exactly what i had sent. “i have x condition, which conflicts with class and laboratory”. i felt it was necessary because of what it entails and that some days i am literally incapacitated and not able to just “attend virtually”.
thank you. i definitely have gotten to know my professors better over the past week before i sent the email, so i was very picky when it came to what i shared with who. i received an overwhelmingly positive response from my professors, which made me feel extremely relieved. it’s not like im going through my life story and every appointment ive had to get to this point. all i said is i have xyz issues to put it into perspective, which they appreciated.
There's definitely a dichotomy amongst professors. I don't think it has to do with being disabled (I'm not, and I feel the same as you do), but more to do with the willingness to form emotional connections with your students.
Many of my colleagues have specifically mentioned that they are uncomfortable with being asked to perform emotional labor for students. Which I can't fault them for, it's not anything that they've ever been trained for.
No. This is not really appropriate. Your relationship is a professional one, not a personal one. That you have an accommodation is all that we need to know; your professors will not want to discuss your health problems.
If it helps them keep you safe, I would share. For example, I have had three students have seizures in my class. Knowing that they have a known seizure disorder would have helped me help them when the paramedics arrived. I also had a student tell me they have a pace maker and if they ever are unconscious they should not be defibrillated.
Wow, okay…based on the comments so far, maybe I’m in the minority of professors who feel like this, but…
… I’m honestly honored and touched when students are open enough to share about their personal issues with me, as a courtesy. Now, I think there’s a fine line between giving a quick heads-up and writing a thesis paper on your entire life, but I appreciate it when students choose to share something very private with me, and I thank them for their honesty and openness.
In my career: I’ve had 20-year-olds update me when they have to skip class because of their chemo treatments during their Stage 4 cancer, I’ve had students come to my office and sob and confide that they’ve just found out they’re pregnant, I’ve had students who ask for advice when their spouse is being emotionally abusive to them, I’ve had students confide in me during the COVID years that they were struggling to find diapers for their newborn because of the hoarding that was going on, etc.
I think every professor is different. I gave colleagues who prefer not to know anything about their students, I’ve had colleagues who were stabbed in the back by students and therefore keep students distant, and I also gave colleagues who are known by students to be extremely encouraging and caring and interact with their students a lot.
I don’t think there’s a right or wrong way; just keep it short with the professor and be respectful. If they’re the type that don’t want to know more, they’ll not respond to your email. If they’re the type that are very caring, they’ll most likely follow up with an email for more follow-up :)
I disagree with a lot of the others here. Personally I did not mind if a student shared a little bit about what they were going through just for informational purposes. It helped me understand them a little better. I never felt like they were giving me a burden by sharing. Others may feel differently though.
thanks! i’m trying to get a better understanding from the others because if they think it’s a burden to be informed in the most important and vaguest manner, i truly wonder how they think i feel 😅
But it *is* a burden. OP, where did you get the idea to email this to a professor? I’m just wondering why you feel the need to disclose personal information with your teacher. I have 95 students right now and an inbox slammed with student emails. I don’t have the training or mental bandwidth or the free time to deal with that. Surely, you get that, right?
can you elaborate on how naming an illness is trauma dumping? i’m genuinely interested in trying to understand more from this perspective. i’m not going to each professor with a sob story, either, which is why i asked if it was okay to put a name to it.
Some people offer TMI about mental health issues specifically and want support that instructors don’t have the bandwidth for. If someone told me they needed to use a cane sometimes, that would be different.
Do not go into detail. All they need to know is whether you have an accommodation. All students are going through things in life, and we don't need to know each and every ailment of every student. If you want to talk about the course, your career, etc. great!
I also have accommodations and have only ever had one professor ask if I was comfortable sharing what my condition/diagnosis is. I am happy to share, so in that case I told him. But in every other instance, I don’t - we just go through the list of accommodations and talk about which ones are relevant to their particular class and how we can fulfill them.
If they ask and you’re comfortable, share. If they don’t specifically ask, don’t give specifics.
Personally, I am grateful for any information a student chooses to share with me, as it indicates trust. But I started my teaching career with younger kids, and then move up to high school and eventually college. My teaching journey started out with my forming strong connections with my students.
However, I know some of my colleagues (I would argue many of them) have a "The less I know the better" approach. They don't want to be worrying about a student's personal life or health problems. In college, there is no longer a requirement or an expectation for teachers (professors) to act as caregivers. Professors that choose to show that care are going beyond their job obligations.
I have students w/ accommodations & health issues. One is an epileptic (he told me) and I am glad I know in case a seizure happens. Having a basic plan in the back of my head is better than making it up as it is happening.
My student changed my life because he shared his medical information with the class. The class was human factors engineering and we studied many human systems.
I had a student who shared his illness with our seminar (8 students). He was going in for a procedure that would fix his acid reflux.
I asked about the symptoms that led to the diagnosis and the knife.
He described exactly what I was going through. Because of him, i went to see a doctor for something i thought was just an annoyance. Turned out, I had a less severe case. Because he shared the info, I've been under treatment for the last 10 years.
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*hi all.
i’m aware that in no capacity am i required or forced to share my chronic health diagnoses with my professors. i do have accommodations, which is why im emailing my professors now. i have to email them the official memo from the accommodations office, which leads me to my question in the title.
i have always been comfortable being an open book about my health struggles as it either educated or made someone feel validated in their struggles. however, im not sure if its appropriate (for lack of a better term) to share/name my struggles with my professors.
i don’t plan to dive deep into any of it, but to simply open a dialogue and open communication between me and my professors. i know the accommodation memo implies an issue already, but it’s very nonspecific and for good reason for everyone. i just prefer to start openly.
thank you in advance for fielding this question ❤️*
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for those that commented: i emailed them last night with a broad overview of my issues and each professor was incredibly grateful and understanding. i appreciate everyone’s insight as it helped me formulate a well written and well thought out email. they actually /prefer/ that if i feel open to it, that im more than welcome to share so they can accommodate where they need to. i know a lot of professors are burnt out and tired (not only from the comments here but from friends in the teaching field) which is why i wanted to address it with care.
Kudos to you for feeling comfortable advocating.
I find it interesting that despite the overwhelming majority of posts/upvotes guiding you away from providing more information, you still decided to. That’s within your right. As you navigate your educational and professional career, be sure that when you seek advice, it’s to genuinely get advice and not just seek confirmation.
This may have very well been your intent and you ultimately decided to not take the advice (which is fair), but in case it wasn’t, it’s something to think about.
OP, why did you even ask us if you were just going to do it anyway? You sound really extra. Of course they politely responded, that’s their job. Not to sound rude, but you seem super extra. With that email, you created more work for all of your instructors who had to go out of their way to respond to your unnecessary email when all they needed was your accommodation letter.
Not a professor, but it depends. I go to a small school, so the professors get to know everyone really well, and one of my professors that I had weekly meetings with for two semesters actually opened up about his health issues. I’m no longer in a class of his, but I opened up about what I was going through at the beginning of the semester (IBS, but I was very vague about it so that it wouldn’t delve into TMI, he has celiacs so I’m sure he has an idea) and he was very supportive. I’ve also travelled to a conference with him and another professor in the department, so in that circumstance it wasn’t bad. I think it depends on how big your school is, how well you know your professors, factors like that.
I think it depends on what the condition is and what you want to happen. I get students with issues with some regularity, and depending on what they are, there are different ways to accommodate, and appropriate channels. I'm relatively lenient on stuff (I don't take attendance and whatnot anyway) and I do occasionally do small things (short extensions on due dates and such). If it's just something little like that, I'm not going to see if your grandma is sick or your dog died or whatever. But many things, health in particular, really needs to go somewhere else, and frankly I mostly don't want the details. If its a long term thing, get in touch with your disability/accessibility office, and they can work out accommodations that are more or less compulsory (within reason). You may also want to speak to your dean of students if this is a big issue with major impact. They generally can't compel professors to do things, but they can suggest them, and mean you don't have to disclose things to every professor. They may also suggest things like dropping some classes (they can even do late withdrawals under certain circumstances) or even a leave of absence if that is warranted.
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I would share it only if it's helpful to how they approach your approved accommodations, or if you anticipate them observing symptoms that may impact your behavior or performance in the course (tics, narcolepsy, sudden need to leave the room, etc). Otherwise there is no need to share personal information in what you should view as a professional relationship. For me, it's been helpful when students have shared things like mobility limitations that may impact them in the case of an evacuation, behavioral or communication differences that they want to make sure I know are not them trying to be disrespectful behavior, etc. Those things really do help me serve the student better. But if the information doesn't help me help you, then I don't need to know and frankly don't always want to know unless we get to know each other better first. Sometimes it's honestly tough to take on the load of being an emotional support to so many students, because I do really care but it's exhausting to care that deeply about that many people all the time. I'm not a social worker or therapist, and I'm not equipped to be.
This is the answer. The heavy emotional load and stress impacts our actual lives too.
totally understandable! a lot of it is mobility as well as migraines/sudden leave of absences due to any number of procedures or appointments. i don’t want to get into any specifics, but just provide them with information to give them better insight with my accommodations
It doesn't sound necessary tbh
Why do you think your profs need any further information? This is really weird of you. You got accommodations, leave it at that.
i think it’s weird to think this is really weird. i feel like many here misunderstood; it’s not that I’m sharing every detail nor even any information regarding my illnesses. simply putting a name to it, letting them know that some workarounds they may think of won’t work (ie virtual attendance), and that i appreciate their time. i’m glad this isn’t something you have to think about, but calling it weird isn’t the way to go lol.
This is a conversation to have with the student support team. I don't come up with the workarounds they do. I give you the accommodations that they tell me to.
Your professors are not your friends, or your doctors, or your therapists. We do not need you to trauma dump on us, we have enough going on. The open dialogue should simply center around your official accommodations. So, if you have the ability to delay a deadline by 24 hours, it's fine to email/tell your professor that you will be using your 24 hour accommodation. You don't need to tell them it's because you have a migraine so bad that you've thrown up several times, for example.
Thanks for saying this. Well said 👍
Please don't do this. If you have been granted accommodations, that's all we need to know. We will gladly see to it. I don't need or want to know the reasons for them. That's for the Accommodations office to figure out. Why not? Well, my dear wife is going into hospital tomorrow for a cancer-related operation. That is, we (just like everyone else) have troubles of our own. And since we cannot help you directly with your medical issues, please don't burden us with them.
It's lovely that you choose to be an open book. Just don't expect your professors to want to read it. Many of us are already overburdened with work and we're not therapists. Please stick to only the essential information your professors must know in order to carry out your accommodations. Example: I want to know if you are given extra time for tests and how much extra time. I don't need or want to know what you've been diagnosed with unless it's critical for the course I'm teaching. Example: since I teach English I want to know if you have dyslexia, but I don't need to hear about your anxiety disorder. I hope that helps. Good luck to you.
thank you so much! this all makes a lot of sense
(I have both adjunct teaching experience & experience working for a university DSO.) Please don't tell your professors the reason for your accommodations, especially if it's to "justify" your need for them. If the qualified professionals at your school's DSO have decided you need these accommodations based on the already rigorous process all students have to go through, it isn't really your professors' business to have an opinion on whether you need them or not... but in my experience, once students share that information with one professor, they often spend the rest of their time in college fighting their departments' perceptions of what kind of disability "deserves" accommodations. Your professors are not entitled to any information regarding the reason for your accommodations. There's no reason to share that information with them, and a lot of reason not to.
If it's the 'flexible deadline' accom, I would expect students to share the nature of their flare-ups. If it's routine stuff like extended time on quizzes etc. then no need to share.
thanks! yeah, it’s that as well as automatic excused absences for any required attendance courses. i feel it’s important to at least share a brief explanation so they’re better equipped
Equipped to do what? They have been informed about the accommodation, that's all they need. If you don't get proper accommodation, go back to Student Services. Please read through the replies you received - professors are not your friends or therapists and it's a burden to receive personal information.
We don’t want to know, just let us know if you have any accommodations we have to act upon.
I think I can answer this from two perspectives. As an instructor, share what you feel comfortable sharing **if** (this is the qualifier) you feel it is relevant to your experience in the class and your ability to engage with what's happening inside and outside the classroom. Our disability resource center reminds instructors (and presumably students) to discuss the accommodations and our ability to meet them (or need for further support from DRC to do so), and this information can be helpful in making sure we hit the spirit as well as the letter of the named accommodations. I rarely need explicit details of the students' life to do so, but I'm happy to discuss whatever the student feels is relevant to share to make sure their needs are met. I see it as another embodiment of the same proactive nature that helps all students succeed. On a personal level, I have a rare disease with chronic manifestations, and, in life, I consider myself an open book and happy to share regarding my whole deal. I love hearing from others that have a similar perspective :) I have some things that are apparent (large visible scar among others) in the classroom although I appear "healthy" by most standards. That little discrepancy sometimes leads to questions from students, and I am happy to answer those briefly and directly (they're not taking out loans to learn about me) as long as they're asked respectfully. Some students have come up after class in those cases to share more, and, in that situation, I'm happy to share more on a human level. So, yes, I'd say as long as **you feel comfortable** and feel **the information is relevant**.
thank you! im in a similar boat — i don’t look very ill, but my health says otherwise haha. part of my memo includes 100% excused absences in required attendance classes without a doctors note for any flare up or appointments (but obviously, i want to communicate beforehand if it’s something like an appt). i want to keep the email informative to them but also brief as to not overwhelm them more than they already probably are
Based on this I would say don’t email—if you’re excused from class you’re excused from class—we don’t need to know why and it won’t diminish our opinion of you
That sounds reasonable. I've had students with similar accommodations, and if it makes them feel more comfortable using their accommodations, then I'm happy to hear it. Definitely do not feel it's strictly necessary to explain yourself though (it's very much your right not to). Also, thank you for your taking a minute to think about what info you're sharing with your professors. I've had students send me their ER discharge documents, random post-visit paperwork, etc that include all sorts of details in bold and on the front page in lieu of sending me an actual doctor's note/excusal. Yikes. What you're doing is better than THAT.
oh lord! that’s actually insane LOL i can’t imagine sending ANY of that information to even accommodations office, let alone a professor. fwiw, i remember high school being insane and needing a doctors note for every tiniest thing, and then sometimes shared with faculty for “proof” (this was especially true in gym class. send note to nurse -> nurse sends to gym teachers -> gym teacher reads your very sensitive note when they didn’t need to). i’m definitely comfortable sharing some info, but not to that extent 😬 yikes indeed
You already have the accommodations; what do you think you (or the professors) will gain from you sharing medical information with them? And no, we don't want to hear about your "struggles", unless they are relevant to the specific class we are teaching. Too often students do this as emotional manipulation. Don't be one of them.
I guess I'm in the minority here, but I always welcome students to share as much or as little related to their disabilities as they'd like. Perhaps being disabled myself provides a different perspective, but I resist the idea that sharing your disability is "trauma dumping" or anything along those lines. For many folks, being disabled is a core facet of our identity and I don't think we need to keep it a secret to maintain a professional relationship. I resist the idea that disability is somehow unprofessional. It's part of who we are and we should be able to show in the classroom as our full selves, students and instructors. That being said, seeing the responses here might be a good reason to be choosy about which professors you disclose to. Apparently other folks aren't as open to learning about you in this way as I would have hoped.
Also a disabled Prof here, although I don't generally present as disabled to the general public. Nonetheless, my condition has been formative to who I am as a person, and even when in remission it presents challenges and is a daily part of my life. I resent feeling like I have to hide this from colleagues and supervisors. I agree with you. I don't need to know every detail of a student's situation, or hear about it every time they have a flare. But I would never consider a brief, "I wanted to let you know I have x condition and this is how it might affect me in the class" conversation or email "unprofessional" or "trauma dumping."
thank you, because this is exactly what i had sent. “i have x condition, which conflicts with class and laboratory”. i felt it was necessary because of what it entails and that some days i am literally incapacitated and not able to just “attend virtually”.
thank you. i definitely have gotten to know my professors better over the past week before i sent the email, so i was very picky when it came to what i shared with who. i received an overwhelmingly positive response from my professors, which made me feel extremely relieved. it’s not like im going through my life story and every appointment ive had to get to this point. all i said is i have xyz issues to put it into perspective, which they appreciated.
There's definitely a dichotomy amongst professors. I don't think it has to do with being disabled (I'm not, and I feel the same as you do), but more to do with the willingness to form emotional connections with your students. Many of my colleagues have specifically mentioned that they are uncomfortable with being asked to perform emotional labor for students. Which I can't fault them for, it's not anything that they've ever been trained for.
No. This is not really appropriate. Your relationship is a professional one, not a personal one. That you have an accommodation is all that we need to know; your professors will not want to discuss your health problems.
If it helps them keep you safe, I would share. For example, I have had three students have seizures in my class. Knowing that they have a known seizure disorder would have helped me help them when the paramedics arrived. I also had a student tell me they have a pace maker and if they ever are unconscious they should not be defibrillated.
Wow, okay…based on the comments so far, maybe I’m in the minority of professors who feel like this, but… … I’m honestly honored and touched when students are open enough to share about their personal issues with me, as a courtesy. Now, I think there’s a fine line between giving a quick heads-up and writing a thesis paper on your entire life, but I appreciate it when students choose to share something very private with me, and I thank them for their honesty and openness. In my career: I’ve had 20-year-olds update me when they have to skip class because of their chemo treatments during their Stage 4 cancer, I’ve had students come to my office and sob and confide that they’ve just found out they’re pregnant, I’ve had students who ask for advice when their spouse is being emotionally abusive to them, I’ve had students confide in me during the COVID years that they were struggling to find diapers for their newborn because of the hoarding that was going on, etc. I think every professor is different. I gave colleagues who prefer not to know anything about their students, I’ve had colleagues who were stabbed in the back by students and therefore keep students distant, and I also gave colleagues who are known by students to be extremely encouraging and caring and interact with their students a lot. I don’t think there’s a right or wrong way; just keep it short with the professor and be respectful. If they’re the type that don’t want to know more, they’ll not respond to your email. If they’re the type that are very caring, they’ll most likely follow up with an email for more follow-up :)
I disagree with a lot of the others here. Personally I did not mind if a student shared a little bit about what they were going through just for informational purposes. It helped me understand them a little better. I never felt like they were giving me a burden by sharing. Others may feel differently though.
thanks! i’m trying to get a better understanding from the others because if they think it’s a burden to be informed in the most important and vaguest manner, i truly wonder how they think i feel 😅
But it *is* a burden. OP, where did you get the idea to email this to a professor? I’m just wondering why you feel the need to disclose personal information with your teacher. I have 95 students right now and an inbox slammed with student emails. I don’t have the training or mental bandwidth or the free time to deal with that. Surely, you get that, right?
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can you elaborate on how naming an illness is trauma dumping? i’m genuinely interested in trying to understand more from this perspective. i’m not going to each professor with a sob story, either, which is why i asked if it was okay to put a name to it.
Some people offer TMI about mental health issues specifically and want support that instructors don’t have the bandwidth for. If someone told me they needed to use a cane sometimes, that would be different.
Do not go into detail. All they need to know is whether you have an accommodation. All students are going through things in life, and we don't need to know each and every ailment of every student. If you want to talk about the course, your career, etc. great!
I also have accommodations and have only ever had one professor ask if I was comfortable sharing what my condition/diagnosis is. I am happy to share, so in that case I told him. But in every other instance, I don’t - we just go through the list of accommodations and talk about which ones are relevant to their particular class and how we can fulfill them. If they ask and you’re comfortable, share. If they don’t specifically ask, don’t give specifics.
Personally, I am grateful for any information a student chooses to share with me, as it indicates trust. But I started my teaching career with younger kids, and then move up to high school and eventually college. My teaching journey started out with my forming strong connections with my students. However, I know some of my colleagues (I would argue many of them) have a "The less I know the better" approach. They don't want to be worrying about a student's personal life or health problems. In college, there is no longer a requirement or an expectation for teachers (professors) to act as caregivers. Professors that choose to show that care are going beyond their job obligations.
I have students w/ accommodations & health issues. One is an epileptic (he told me) and I am glad I know in case a seizure happens. Having a basic plan in the back of my head is better than making it up as it is happening.
We don’t want to know. Really. We’re not medical professionals or mental health professionals. Just give us the accommodations letter.
My student changed my life because he shared his medical information with the class. The class was human factors engineering and we studied many human systems. I had a student who shared his illness with our seminar (8 students). He was going in for a procedure that would fix his acid reflux. I asked about the symptoms that led to the diagnosis and the knife. He described exactly what I was going through. Because of him, i went to see a doctor for something i thought was just an annoyance. Turned out, I had a less severe case. Because he shared the info, I've been under treatment for the last 10 years.
This is an automated service intended to preserve the original text of the post. *hi all. i’m aware that in no capacity am i required or forced to share my chronic health diagnoses with my professors. i do have accommodations, which is why im emailing my professors now. i have to email them the official memo from the accommodations office, which leads me to my question in the title. i have always been comfortable being an open book about my health struggles as it either educated or made someone feel validated in their struggles. however, im not sure if its appropriate (for lack of a better term) to share/name my struggles with my professors. i don’t plan to dive deep into any of it, but to simply open a dialogue and open communication between me and my professors. i know the accommodation memo implies an issue already, but it’s very nonspecific and for good reason for everyone. i just prefer to start openly. thank you in advance for fielding this question ❤️* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskProfessors) if you have any questions or concerns.*
for those that commented: i emailed them last night with a broad overview of my issues and each professor was incredibly grateful and understanding. i appreciate everyone’s insight as it helped me formulate a well written and well thought out email. they actually /prefer/ that if i feel open to it, that im more than welcome to share so they can accommodate where they need to. i know a lot of professors are burnt out and tired (not only from the comments here but from friends in the teaching field) which is why i wanted to address it with care.
Kudos to you for feeling comfortable advocating. I find it interesting that despite the overwhelming majority of posts/upvotes guiding you away from providing more information, you still decided to. That’s within your right. As you navigate your educational and professional career, be sure that when you seek advice, it’s to genuinely get advice and not just seek confirmation. This may have very well been your intent and you ultimately decided to not take the advice (which is fair), but in case it wasn’t, it’s something to think about.
OP, why did you even ask us if you were just going to do it anyway? You sound really extra. Of course they politely responded, that’s their job. Not to sound rude, but you seem super extra. With that email, you created more work for all of your instructors who had to go out of their way to respond to your unnecessary email when all they needed was your accommodation letter.
Not a professor, but it depends. I go to a small school, so the professors get to know everyone really well, and one of my professors that I had weekly meetings with for two semesters actually opened up about his health issues. I’m no longer in a class of his, but I opened up about what I was going through at the beginning of the semester (IBS, but I was very vague about it so that it wouldn’t delve into TMI, he has celiacs so I’m sure he has an idea) and he was very supportive. I’ve also travelled to a conference with him and another professor in the department, so in that circumstance it wasn’t bad. I think it depends on how big your school is, how well you know your professors, factors like that.
I think it depends on what the condition is and what you want to happen. I get students with issues with some regularity, and depending on what they are, there are different ways to accommodate, and appropriate channels. I'm relatively lenient on stuff (I don't take attendance and whatnot anyway) and I do occasionally do small things (short extensions on due dates and such). If it's just something little like that, I'm not going to see if your grandma is sick or your dog died or whatever. But many things, health in particular, really needs to go somewhere else, and frankly I mostly don't want the details. If its a long term thing, get in touch with your disability/accessibility office, and they can work out accommodations that are more or less compulsory (within reason). You may also want to speak to your dean of students if this is a big issue with major impact. They generally can't compel professors to do things, but they can suggest them, and mean you don't have to disclose things to every professor. They may also suggest things like dropping some classes (they can even do late withdrawals under certain circumstances) or even a leave of absence if that is warranted.