Dear Professor,
I’ve dealt with circumstances before in which teachers aren’t always at their best—executing unfair grading methods, giving obscure instructions, showing favoritism, or simply not being good at teaching. The list goes on and on. My high school French teacher even wrongfully and unfairly accused me of cheating and attempted to give me a referral for it, despite my honorably-earned ranking as one of the top students in her class. I thought it wouldn’t get any worse than that.
But today in class, you proved me wrong. Amidst your rant in the middle of lecture, you crossed the line.
From what I understood, it began with a simple, light-hearted notion that your wife sees the clear connection of how you descended from monkeys. You then brought up the news story of ancient human bones that were recently discovered in Africa. Mentioning these certain aspects slightly correlated with evolution was not what bothered me; it was when you started to blatantly mock the belief in Creationism. I don’t recall exactly how you began doing so, but I do know you referenced the ideas of a “Mighty Power” creating the world in seven days and removing a rib from Adam to make Eve. You explained these concepts as if they were obviously ridiculous and falsified rumors, asking rhetorically, “Who even believes in that?”
Regardless of the fact that this topic was completely irrelevant to the class (Management Information Systems), which I would have originally dismissed, there was a clear boundary that was crossed.
In that moment, I remember feeling extremely uncomfortable and upset. You were calling out my personal beliefs and essentially making fun of my religion, as well as others, in front of an entire college class. I’m sure that I was not the only one offended in that room.
Because I am whole-heartedly dedicated to my faith, I take pride in these beliefs. While I’m not one to shove my opinions down others’ throats, I would appreciate the opportunity to at least defend my ideas in the case of degradation. However, you did not give me this opportunity. As a student, I acknowledge and respect your position of authority. With that being said, I felt that you took advantage of this platform to express your own thoughts with complete disregard to the audience.
One student in the front row hesitantly spoke up to you, claiming her belief in Creationism. In response, you seemingly shut down her idea with apparent negligence, explaining how one should “read the Old Testament as a scientific document.” You then quickly switched back to the lecture, ending any possibility of a discussion.
By favoring one theory and shaming another in front of your students, you cut off the mutual respect that should be shared between this professional relationship. Perhaps your intention was not to offend anyone, which I’m sure is true, but your conduct was unacceptable nevertheless.
Professors may be exempt from following their own rules for class policy, but the “think before you speak” rule applies to everyone. Please keep that in mind for the next time you decide to bash religious views in a class where we should be learning about how to use Excel.
Sincerely,
Offended Student
