Hi, remember me? If not it's cool, but you did say at the end of class that I left an impact on you. Whether that was a good or bad one, I'm still not sure. But I can say with confidence that you most definitely made an impact on me.

Let's start at the beginning, shall we?

When I first started your course I was brimming with excitement. Your selection of reading material was on point, your assignments sounded fascinating, and it seemed that your energy and passion for your subject was unmatched. Seemingly, a course match made in heaven. However, upon starting your course, I realized what I believed to be your passion for your subject wasn't passion at all, but rather just a supercilious attitude.

I found this out pretty quick. It was evident in the way you spoke down to your students. As if they weren't on your intellectual level. We get it, you're a master of your subject. But how are you to encourage anyone to be passionate about learning when you shoot them down for trying?

I thought I would be the one to avoid your scorn, as I was doing quite well in the course. But, I was wrong. After our first big project, you had given me a slightly lower than expected grade, which of course was fine. I know not every project is worth an A. Yet, I was curious as to why — I mean, I checked every box on the grading scale.

Again, I wasn't angry, I just wanted to inquire how to improve my work for the next project. So, I asked you in what ways I could improve as any try-hard student would.

You took my inquiry as an insult and played the 'you get what you get, and you don't throw a fit card,' on me. You put words in my mouth and twisted the situation to make it out like I was whining because I didn't get the grade I wanted. You then went on to belittle my work, and myself as an individual. During the whole situation, I was flabbergasted. When a student is showing excitement for your course and a willingness to improve, you don't stomp on them. You teach them.

At that moment I realized you were really just a bully.

I also realized that I wanted to ace your course just to show you I could. And you know what, I did. How? I realized that if I wanted to get a better grade in your course I would have to trail off the straight and narrow path, and by that I mean ditch the grading scale. In the end, you didn't want us to create well, you just wanted us to create things that were pleasing to you. Your course really wasn't about being creative, it was just about getting your students to agree with you, to see the world only through your perspective.

Once I figured that out, I learned what you liked, how you functioned and started to cater to my projects accordingly. And to no surprise, my grades improved. You started to love my work because it didn't reflect who I was, it reflected you, and your opinions.

Sadly, you failed to teach what your course intended, which was free thinking. Instead, you taught that to get ahead you need to align your beliefs and opinions to those in power.

In the end, I left your course with a bad experience, but a positive mindset. Instead of being discouraged by your negative words, I used them as motivation and found a way to succeed. So, thanks for that.

A word of advice for the future? Treat your students better. We want to learn, and we like working hard. But when you treat us like ants, don't be surprised if some lose passion for your course.

Best Regards,

E.