Dear Professor,
As the semester closed and I left your class for the last time, I couldn't help but be filled with relief. Relief that I would never have to sit through another one of your lectures and deal with your arrogant personality. You made me dread going to a class in a subject I normally adore. I've had other poor teachers in this subject before, but none as unfit for teaching as you. I know that I and other students will not miss you as we continue with our education.
You prided yourself in having the greatest syllabus on campus. It had every piece of information we could possibly need to succeed in your class. Yet the common consensus among the class was that all of your instructions were unclear and vague. When it came time to write papers, we didn't know what we were supposed to write about. Were we supposed to write in MLA? It was never clear. When I made a mistake in the formatting of the paper, you pointed out how obvious the instructions were stated in the syllabus. When a dozen other students made the same mistake as me, I was reassured that the fault was in your hands. You can't provide unclear expectations then deduct points when students are unable to read your mind.
Beyond the academics, you are an incredibly self-absorbed person. You mused about how you wanted the class to be an open discussion, a dialogue among all of us. Yet every lecture you rambled for the entire hour and fifteen minutes, not inviting students to speak or engaging us to want to share our thoughts. On the rare occasion where students spoke and they had a different idea than you, you argued about how your analysis of the text was the right one. One of my favorite aspects of analyzing literature has always been that everyone interprets the text differently. You ruined this aspect with your narrow mind.
You were unnecessarily harsh with your students. I can't count the number of times you made a joking comment to a student that undoubtedly hurt or offended them. I'll never forget when you read a draft of my essay and you told me that I wasn't trying hard enough when you had no idea the effort I put into the paper and what other events were going on in my life. Nor will I forget when you told a student they were making a mistake transferring schools when that was the best decision for them. As an educator, you are supposed to help and encourage your students, not belittle them.
On the first day of class you told us that you hoped you would be our favorite professor, and for a very brief half hour I believed it could be possible. However, it turned out to be on the last day of class you were officially my least favorite professor. I hope mine and my friends' critical professor evaluations will help you better yourself and your class for future students.
Sincerely,
A Former Student
