Is my college professor coming on to me?

barb8889-Welcome to A2K!

If it were me, I would not have reacted to the nickname, and would have continued to refer to him formally.

I think that it would be a good idea if you went back to addressing him formally, and behave as if the incident never happened. If he is smart, and WAS hitting on you, he will take the hint.

I don't know this person, so there is no real way of me having a clue as to whether he was simply being friendly, or had an ulterior motive.

Barb--

Both Phoenix and I are of grandmotherly years and wise in the Wicked Ways of the World.

Your teacher could have signed an informal name absent-mindedly--or with intent to signal that he's interested in getting to know you better and/or showing you his etchings.

He's making you uneasy. Good. His conduct is most unprofessional.

He managed to open a dialogue with you--but you don't have to continue talking. You're a student. He's a teacher.

Trust your instincts.

Judging by myself it probably doesn't mean anything. I signed with my nickname to students after awhile too. Then again, I'm young and I'm rather informal in the classroom as well.
If there are no other indications of him flirting, then I wouldn't read into it.

I'm with dagmar - though a dozens of years older.

I'm of a grandmotherly age but with Dagmaraka on this unless you get other signals - but then I was informal the few times I lectured, myself.

Many professors don't need to speak from "on high" in order to command respect, and others prefer formality for... form's sake, with good arguments towards that.

I did have a long time friend that even demanded restaurants call him "doctor" ( ) ... but he was from a more formal generation, more formal schools, where my own age group was at the cusp, one foot in formality, one foot off dancing with hippies.

On the other hand, I'm not there in your class, don't know him.

he signed an email with a common name? I would file charges of sexual harassment, get him fired and then file a civil suit for 10 million $.

I only had one student in 6 years of college teaching that I had a major crush on. I never acted on it, of course, or let it on (to my knowledge anyway).
I did have two entertaining mishaps with him though (both after the class was long over): Once he was ahead of me on the street and I was passing on my bike... I could have slowed down, say a passing hello, but no. I decided to show off, take a speedy turn around the corner just ahead.... needless to say I spilled on the ground most ungraciously. Just splat - and scrambled about like a turtle on its back. I hightailed outta there, pretending to have never seen him.
The second episode was an email. We kept in touch, cause I wrote a letter of recommendation for him, he got in to the U. of Illinois, and as luck had it, my good friend's husban ended up in the very same class with him. We exchanged a few polite emails and then he called me once out of the blue on my cell - musta gotten my number from the husband... So I was all giddy and wrote an email about it to a friend of mine. Her name happens to come right after my ex-boyfriend's name in my address book. THE ex-boyfriend I was with while I was teaching that class. Of course I sent it to him by mistake. Cringe. I still remember that moment of disbelief and utter terror when I saw the sent email with the address on it. He was a sport... after all, he was used to my slightly embarassing blunders.
um, sorry for the hijack of the thread. i'll behave next time.

Gosh, he's signing his name in a more familiar way and you think he's
coming onto you? How twisted ! These are probably the same people
who file sexual harassment suits because their professors shook their
hand.

It is absolutely frightening to read what some people read into harmless
gestures.

I agree.

Things like this must be nipped in the bud.

One of the valuable aspects of A2K is correcting the generation gap.

Whereas I am always amazed how "young" your way of thinking usually is.

C.J.--

Thanks for the kind words.

What is bred in the bones, comes out in the flesh and I was raised in a more formal era.

Also, a cousin of the first Mr. Noddy used to boast about seducing his female students. The first lecherous move was to get them talking.

I believe he's now on his fifth wife.

Hi all, I do not think he was "hitting" on me or making any advances towards me. We have exchanged emails all weekend and it has been because I needed help. He has not used his nickname again when signing his messages. He has stated many times in his emails if I need any help or had any questions to feel free and ask them. This means nothing. He did ask if I would fill out a course evaluation of his class because he wants to teach a different class next semester. So I'm thinking... maybe he just signed his email with that name to kind of say " hey look were friends, I help you and sort of get my trust and for me to like him so that I would say nice things about his class" Or it could be because I always tell him how much he helps me..and he thought I would say positive things about him. Who really knows why he used that name. This man is in his 50's and in the class room he conducts himself in a very professional manner, I wouldn't call him ( lets say his name is Richard and he likes to go by Dick) thats the kind of nick name it is. I wouldn't go around calling him Dick infront of the class. I don't think there is really anything going on here other than he is just being nice to me.

I think you've given this way too much thought.

After todays class I know whats going on. He wants to get in my pants!

Do tell!

Have to admit, he is sexy for a man who is in his 50's... and I just might let him get in them if he wasn't married, or I assume he is married since he wears a ring even though he never mentions his wife.

Not a perfesser, but always looking fer a good line...

So, in actuality you have the hots for him.