problems with other students and possibly the teacher

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hello

I am undiagnosed, 33 living in England.
I have started college recently to improve my chances for a better job doing something I enjoy. hnc electronics
I left the class the other day and when I returned some of my coursework had been deleted. I looked around and noticed some people were looking in my direction and looking a little odd. I managed to get some of what was deleted back but not all. and it has left me feeling very uncomfortable and paranoid. now I have to back up everything and log off every time I leave the room. I told the teacher about it but he seems disinterested. also, he seemed to find it funny. when I explained who I thought it may be he was very defensive of those people. I have had comments behind my back which are pretty insulting. the group doing it have been at that college for two years prior to starting this course. they know the lecturer and assistant lecturer quite well. the assistant lecturer has been rude to me as well. name calling quietly behind me. he said "your f****d" and "hes a Nazi" (I don't know why he said that) I have had other comments as well which I don't like
I am planning to put a spy camera disguised as a pen in my bag, turn it on when I leave the room and point it at the computer. this may be able to help me catch the individual. I don't know what I could do with it. I don't know if the college head will be interested. the course is costing me £2000 per year. it only just started in September.

any thoughts or advice on this would be great!

thanks

Oh, crap. What a mess. Does you college have what we here call an ombudsman? That is a neutral person who is supposed to mediate in such cases. I'm not sure what you can do if the whole classroom is full of malice.

Following up on the ombudsman idea, if you decide to meet with the college head, it's a quiet show of strength to have an advocate sitting there next to you. This elevates the seriousness in a positive way. The advocate also acts as a fair witness.

I got this idea from extending something from Herb Cohen's You Can Negotiate Anything. And even heads of state often do this same thing. Of course, even the better methods of negotiation work only, say, two-thirds of the time.

Your advocate can be a family member, a former boss or teacher, or even a religious leader. The person just needs to be someone who believes in you and wants to see you get a fair shake. If you don't have a potential advocate, and there have been times in my life when I haven't, you can still do this yourself. Just the odds aren't quite as good.

It is a sign of respect to tell the college head of an ongoing situation, and you can even tell him or her this. And if you're undecided whether you want the situation rectified or want to request a refund, you can also tell the head you're undecided.

The assistant lecturer is a lout. With him participating in in-group/out-group behavior and cliques, I have a difficult time thinking the situation will be rectified. But, maybe. It's your call.

Good luck. I've been the victim of some rather serious sabotage in the collegiate career myself, and it can be very difficult to get colleges to conform to their own policies--I hope the ombudsman or adviser is very helpful to you.

If you are able to obtain video and audio evidence of the harassment particularly of the teachers, you may be able to threaten the school to refund your money and you can try another school.

thankyou for your replies

I have been unable to think of much else as there is going to be another 6 months of college before I can go elsewhere.

I am going to go ahead with the camera thing and see what happens. we have ombudsman in England but I don't think they do the same thing. I don't think I have anyone else I could ask for help.

all the best and have a nice Christmas or holiday

simon