A PROFESSOR WHO DOESN’T BELONG
Dear Diary,
I have this professor. Let’s call him Dr. Blank. He is new to our university, he is teaching a class of people who are making a career transition. We are all transitioning from one career to another, elementary education. Well, classes started August 24th of this year and we were scheduled to have our first class on August 25th. Dr. Blank cancelled the class and rescheduled for the following week. When we finally had our first class, he informed us all that he cancelled the original first day because he found out none of us have been teaching, and that instead and transitioning careers. He made it clear that he didn’t agree with the programs existence and that he didn’t wish to teach us. This is where Dr. Blank started to be a knot of stress and anxiety.
Along with canceling the first class and basically telling us he didn’t wish to teach us, he also had an assignment due (which we were originally supposed to have a week and a half to complete, since the assignment was on the material that we learned in the first class) that Friday (three days later). After reading the instructions, and following them to the T, I completed my assignment and turned it in. I got a response informing me that it was clear I understood the topic, but didn’t follow the direction. I then spoke with several of my fellow students and discovered that a couple of them had got the same comment and grade, and that really bothered me.
The knot of stress grew. Taking us to our next in class session. We had presentations. He gave us instructions, and once again felt as though we didn’t follow them. He didn’t even realize that he had informed us to do a PowerPoint. He had no clue what he was doing. Know of stress grew more, along with a ball of anger forming. Later in the same class, Dr. Blank basically told us not to email him. LIKE WHAT?! I’ve never in my life had a professor say not to email him. I’ve taking classes in three different countries and I’m a graduate student. NEVER EVER HAS A PROFESSOR SAID NOT TO EMAIL THEM. That know of stress grew more, the ball of anger grew with it. Finally, at the end of our second class, he informs us that we are going to be making a podcast. LIKE WHAT? That’s not in the syllabus, nor is it a grade? He tells us we have to use this app called GarageBand. Well it’s and Apple product only app. I DO NOT HAVE APPLE. So we used the schools Ipads, well the app would not work on the Ipad. So we had two people in our group who could use the app, meanwhile, I was there looking useless. My knot of stress started to become painful!
When one of our two group members with access to the app needed help with the app, Dr. Blank informed us he didn’t know what to do. He didn’t really know the app and we’d need to figure it out. WHAT A USELESS MAN. I wasn’t useless, Dr. Blank was though! When I finally got to leave the class that day, my anger levels were so high! My Knot of stress so large I was actually sick to my stomach. I got in my car and tried to talk to myself out of the anger, tried to convince myself that he only seems like such an awful professor because he was from a country where student sank or floated on their own (no professor help). No that wasn’t it though, he is just an awful man! I was so angry I started to cry. I couldn’t control it! It was all flowing out! To today, I have not emailed him with questions I have because he doesn’t wish to be contacted, or what it seems more like, he doesn’t wish to help us. I am so stressed that I vomit once or twice a day just thinking about having to go into a class he is in. I’ve never hated a professor so much! Never wanted to drop a class! NEVER! This will be the seemingly longest semester ever, even though it is actually the shortest! Any ways, thanks for reading and letting me vent!
Submitted by a student at Middle Tennessee State University