I was just wondering that if you give information to a teacher such as that you have a j pouch and sometimes you have issues in the mourning so may be late to class. Is there anything protecting you from the teacher telling the class your medical information? Since I have had my surgery my doctor has told me to always tell my professors of what I have been through so that if/when I have problems the professors will be understanding. Well in class on Friday my professor decided to announce to the class that I had IBS using my name. First off his information is incorrect since IBS has nothing to do with UC but it was still telling my peers about something we discussed in his office in confidence he would not announce it to the class.

In what situation did he say you had IBS? Was this a medical class? That is really strange that he would do such a thing.

What was the reaction of the class? If I were you, I would go to either your advisor or a professor that you are close with and ask them what they think of the situation? He at least needs a verbal warning for this preventing him from discussing confidential information with the public. There are worse things that could of happened, but this professor needs to be aware of the situation. Or at least bring it to his attention personally. If he knows that you have his eyes on him, he will be nice with the grading

His conduct is outrageous and you should not tolerate it. Report it to his supervisor immediately. That was a HUGE breach of confidentiality. What a jerk.

I am not sure that there is any student/teacher confidentiality requirement, but it is in very bad form, and no better than putting people's grades up on display. I would definitely have another talk with him and tell him how let down you feel and that he violated your trust. This may also be something to bring up with your advisor to see what is the best way to handle this. Obviously, you don't want repeat performances. On the other hand, you also don't want him thinking you are a trouble maker and having it affect your grade, either consciously or unconsciously.

I fail to see how any personal information would be part of the classroom discussion anyway, so this is not making much sense to me. I would suspect that you were not the first victim...And, to make things worse, it does not sound like he really listened to you!

Jan

Scott,

If you are attending college you can be protected and assisted by the Office of Students with Disabilities. They will help you with notifying professors of your needs. What your professor did was unprofessional and I would suggest you meet with OSD.

Sue

I actually use to go through student with disabilities at my old college but after i transfered really wasn't having many issues so figured wasn't worth all the paperwork. As for being shocked that is how the class felt to I know have talked to two people in the class who I am close with and they said that was the reaction and people were talking about it like they couldn't believe he would do that. Just the whole situation makes you think if you should even tell the teacher. But my reason for telling him was that I had missed 2 classes and did not want him thinking I'm skipping that it is a legit problem. So today I'm planning on meeting with him because I don't want to react to strong to soon and then go from there.

I got embarrassed in one of my classes one time because the teacher was talking about her Uncle who had been a wild, womanizing partier and then when he got older he had to "wear one of those bags on his stomach and bla, bla, bla...." I went completely red faced and thought everyone could see my bag and would make fun as she was. Although she didn't know I had one and didn't call me by name I was upset that she made fun of someone with one.
I went up to her after class and told her I had one and that she should be careful about how and what she said because you never know who is out there. It hit her then what a stupid thing she'd done and she was horrified and wouldn't stop apologizing and thanked me so much for speaking to her.
Maybe he had a moment where he completely lost his mind and he'll be apologetic and discreet in the future. I say this just to let you know that although it was stupid and inconsiderate, he may not have done it intentionally; he just wasn't thinking.
Speaking to him about it is definitely the thing to do.
Sorry that happened to you; best of luck in the future.

So I sent an email to my teacher last night telling him how it affected me and such and this is the reply I got back.
"Enough said. I will not mention it again. Thanks for your note"
My feeling is at that he at least should of apologized seems like its more of a I'm over reacting deal.

I'm kind of the sort of person who wants to put things right - he misinformed; you could rise above this and give the class the right version. If he gives you 10 mins of his time again, how about telling your class that statistically, you're not the only person there with IBD, and many people will know someone who has UC or Crohns, for instance. You could say that this wasn't something you'd planned on telling everyone, but now it's been done you can offer some information. You may miss some classes and have to make profs aware of the reason for this, but other than that, you live life to the full - and if anyone has questions or want advice for themselves or for friends and family then they know who to ask. That way, you take control of the stupid situation that this professor created. (Not much of an apology from him. Would it kill him to say he's sorry?)

Im with you soph... I take the pro active part of this ... I dont care who knows I have a bag, if they want to see it I will show them and thats me. I do suport groups in my area and speak at hospitals. That being said, that is me and I would have no care in the world if class knew. I also live off the thought process that what i tell one person I am sure they will tell another.
Now, I dont agree with your teacher saying anything and I think its sad that he/she would do that to you and the class. How you decide to handle it I support. I just wanted to back Soph and I have the same mind set

Scott - I agree - you were owed an apology. I'm just thinking..... what if you'd stood before the class and told them that your professor had hemorrhoids? Does that seem appropriate? Or what if you had knowledge of his extramarital affair and told the class that? Would that be okay? Nope. Neither one. He was wrong and he definitely owes you an apology. But, I don't think you should hold your breath waiting for that to happen. I suppose you should just move on and take comfort in the fact that you took the much higher road.

kathy

Some people are just insensitive and ignorant clods and will never change. His loss I guess because he probably lost the trust of every student in that class. Forcing an apology out of him now would be meaningless....sort of like forcing your three year old into saying he's sorry he ate all the candy...he'd just be reciting a line (he's just sorry he got called on it).

Jan

Hi Scott, I'm sorry you encountered such a jerk. I can't even think of a reason for him to do that. He owes you an apology, but from the sound of his email, you're not going to get it. I hope you don't need to take anymore of his classes. At least you made your point, and you have the support of your other classmates.

Be well,

janna

I agree with Jason and Soph, take the high road. Here's your opportunity to talk about a disease everyone likes to shove into the closet. Forget about the stupid professor. You're not going to get anything in the way of an apology from him. However, if you really feel like you've been harmed by his statement to the class and you don't want to bring up the subject to your peers, then go to the Dean and report the professor's conduct.

Good luck in school. Its tough when you're sick. I've been there done that.

Cat

Jan:
I love your reference to the 3-year-old apology! 'Sounds to me like this professor has about the same amount of tact as a toddler, doesn't it?
'Hope things look up for you, Scott21