Dear Professor who was a bad student,

I am tired of your bullying.

You have left no doubt in your students mind that you were a bad student. You have told us that you were the student who did things last minute and didn’t study. I respect that you have made it to this level with a masters or PhD now teaching at the university level. That is impressive considering the work ethic you have told us you had in college.

I’m sure you disliked the students who set the curve. I’m sure you were annoyed with the students who tried hard in school. I know this is how you felt because that is how I am treated by bad students now. However, I do not need that attitude coming from you, my professor who is supposed to be encouraging me to work hard, as well.

I am tired of being told, “Oh you must be one of those students” when I ask if you will be discussing the exam in class. I’m not sorry that I have questions. I want to succeed, and to do so, I need some clarity.

I am tired of going to your office hours as you encouraged and being told, “You care way too much.”

I’m tired of coming to you with an inconsistency I can’t figure out between the textbook and quiz and being told, “You are way too anal. I think you need to do some soul searching about what matters. I think it would be good for you to get a B.”

I’m tired of being discouraged for going the extra mile. You treat me like school is all that matters to me. You treat me like it is so sad that I care about my academic career. You seem to take pity on me each time I do well.

I’m tired of being told, ” It’s sad when students just care about getting an A. Grades don’t matter. I just want students to learn.” This might be the most infuriating comment. Grades do matter. If they didn’t matter, all classes would be pass/fail. The grading system (despite how flawed it is), is meant to be a measure of learning. I guarantee you that I learned more by earning my A that most students who got their Cs. Yet you look down on me in class.

I’ve wanted to go to college and get a 4.0 ever since I can remember. What’s sad is that I’ve never been encouraged in that pursuit by a professor.

I did not come here to just get by while I party. I did not come here to skip school and go on vacations. I did not come here to prolong my youth and push responsibility a couple years in the future. I came here to get my degree. I came here to care. I  came here to do my best. I came here to succeed. I came here to achieve the most I could.

I am sick of being treated like those goals are sad. I am tired of being judged. And most of all, I am tired of not being pushed, not being challenged, and not being encouraged by you, Professor.

I am not sorry that my expectations at 19 are greater than yours, Dr. Tenure. I am sorry that standards are so low.

Maybe I’m being too harsh. You have encouraged me in some ways. You have encouraged me to be lazy. You have encouraged me to prioritize partying over school. You have encouraged me to produce mediocre work because that’s what earns an A in your class. If you really want me to get a B, I’d suggest raising your standards.

Okay. School isn’t all about grades. It’s about extra curricular activities as well. Activities like student government where I earned the Presidential Award for Student Leadership. Activities such as major specific clubs where I serve as secretary and student council rep. Activities like volunteering 100 hours over the past two school years. Those kinds of activities, Professor?

Stop treating me like my life is sad because I care about my grades. Stop rolling your eyes when I come to your office hours. Stop judging me for working hard.

And dear Professor who told me first semester, “perfection is impossible. you need to lower your standards”, Professor, you can tell that to the 4.0 GPA I will have when I graduate.

Sincerely,

A good student