Dear Professor,

Inarguably, you are the professor, but it wouldn’t hurt for you to learn a little too.

I admire professors for their dedication to higher education, their passion for a particular subject and their endless efforts to engage us in the material. I respect their concern for our futures and their good intentions behind challenging us. You are no exception.

It is not your place, however, to weave your passion with egotism from the fact that you are a professor.

You smile with benevolence to the class to seem approachable, but when a student does not do things your way, you become unapproachable—a danger for any sort of academic confidence and progress. A question that is ridiculous to you or an answer that is obvious to you may not be so for us. Although you are a professor and you indubitably have more knowledge than us in your field, the world does not revolve around your opinions. Your mindset is not the only one, nor is it the best one. Your doctorate’s degree in your subject and your teaching degree should signify that you have vast mental capacity and an understanding of how to handle students; paired together, you should know that your power trip does not benefit students in any way.

It is not your place to tell us about our futures based off of the grades you give.

Engage us, challenge us and give us advice, but by no means make irrevocable judgments about us. As a professor, you should be open to the infinite possibilities of future improvement while appreciating our current efforts. You have a Ph.D. in your subject for a reason, and your days of mandatory well-rounded education are over; you have the great pleasure of focusing on your field. We do not have the liberty of thinking about chemistry 10 hours a day, and we certainly cannot become sudden experts in your subject over the course of just a couple of months, no matter how deeply we study. It is impossible at this stage to determine conclusively whether or not I am chemist material—and you are in no position to tell me that I am not.

Learning takes time, people make mistakes and they are forgetful sometimes. For example, you’ve forgotten these aforementioned facts of life.

Any professor is a good professor if they embrace and encourage growth of the mind and pursuit of a passion. As a professor, you stand for the greater purpose of education. You are the professor, yet you still have a great deal to learn.

Sincerely,

The Student