‘The Hidden Life’

From helicopter moms to overachieving students, journalism professor Chris Underation gives his followers the inside scoop of a professor’s life from his point of view through his Facebook series, “The Hidden Life of the Professor.”

“There’s a little bit more to a professor’s life,” Underation said. “I wanted them to see the homework, the research, presentations we present at conferences, student meetings, administrative task and all of this stuff that goes along with being a professor. A lot people think that we come, we think great thoughts, we stand up at the front of classes and do what we do, and then we go home.”

It all started out as project on social media he had assigned to his students and decided to take on as well. Originally, this project entailed breaking news weekly via social media often times along with photos and
few videos. 

“I wanted them to see that if this old guy can do it, you can do it better, hopefully,” Underation said. “What I really want them to see is that it’s not daunting. Because of my age, I’m a fully self-taught social media person, but for the younger generation it has been an organic part of their lives.”

Jonas Larson, a digital media student, claimed that he has never really considered what professors did in their spare time. 

“In professor’s off time … I don’t really think about that because they don’t really seem human to me,” Jonas Larson, said. 

Caleb Roach, also a digital media student, explained how he envisioned professors’ lives outside the
classroom.

“They probably hang out at the house, eat food and sleep,” Caleb Roach, Liberty junior, said. “That’s what I would do if I was a
professor.” 

Veering away from a portrayal of life outside of classes, recently Underation has begun enlightening viewers of the opinions, presumptions and expectations professors have. Fall of last year the social media project evolved into what has become the series called the Hidden Life of a Professor and is back by popular demand this semester. 

“The reason for saying this stuff is so that you can fully understand what at least one professor thinks or sees about the career,” Underation said. “Though I happen to think a lot of what I say is rather common.” 

Several of these topics addressed by Underation cause quite a stir in the Facebook community. 

“We’ve lost a sense of being able to speak forthrightly and then allowing people to respond,” Underation said. “We’ve become very sensitive. It’s like, ‘Oh better not say this because someone might be upset’, and so as a result we end up saying very little.”

And while some social media users may be heated about Underation’s claims, others appreciate the honesty. 

“A lot of times, I’ll get comments from colleagues saying, ‘I’m so glad you said that’ or ‘I’m so glad that this is out there’, because it’s stuff that I think most professors have dealt or had issues with at some point,”
Underation said.

If you’re curious to learn the enticing details of what truly goes on behind the curtain of the great Oz so many students look up to, check out the series The Hidden Life of a Professor on Chris Underation’s Facebook page.