I hope you don’t read this, actually even if you did, the chance that you would recognize my name is practically nonexistent. You couldn’t even remember my name when you had me in one of your two thirteen-student classes. You made sure I was nothing special.
The learning environment you set up was borderline hostile. You would make sure to withhold my graded homework until everyone else’s had been passed back, slowly walking over to me, only to turn the paper face down and slap it onto my desk -- thanks for the discreetness in telling me I failed the assignment. You disregarded my emails about questions on assignments, instead telling me to go to the “Help Center”, clearly there all my questions would be answered.
During the in-class projects, I would stay silent, aware that I was unable to participate in discussions over material I did not understand. You would make me write the answers on the board, knowing damn well I didn’t know how to do the problems and was confused. You didn’t care and you didn’t help. You made me feel stupid for asking questions, because after a while you simply stopped answering them. It was clear you had no time for me and it was clear I had given up. We were both done, except you shouldn’t have had the option of being done, this was your job.
I take full responsibility for my own actions during this course with you. I should have, and could have gotten more help outside of the classroom. I even understand that this was a day job for you and at the end of the day, you could forget about my existence. But even so, this does not excuse your unprofessional and rude behavior. You were short with me when I gave up the once of dignity I had left, literally begging you for any minuscule amount of extra credit you could give me. I even managed to hold myself together when you responded, “There is nothing I can do you for.”
Overall, you failed me in the class. You failed in creating a conducive learning environment. You failed in answering emails. You failed to help me. But most of all, you failed to view me as a person who was struggling instead of nameless student in a classroom.
Wherever you are, I hope your new students aren’t failed by you.
