Have you ever witnessed your professor bite off a fellow students head? I’m not talking about a baby bite , I’m talking about a bite so deep and so painful it gives you nightmares.
Okay, maybe its not that serious. However, this is a major issue that FAMU students have to deal with.
I’m guessing that many of us have witnessed a fellow student get attacked by Dr. Head Snapper because they were a few minutes late, fell asleep during a lecture or missed a couple of days of class.
Many professors seem to immediately assume these students are slackers and that their excuses are not valid.
Now that we have established the problem, lets work on the solution.
All Dr. Head Snappers must realize that there is also a true explanation behind a students excuse. Sometimes it may not always be a good one but there is some reason behind it.
You as an educator and a mentor (whether you like it or not) must keep in mind one important thing: Students are human too! We have to eat, sleep and breath just like you.
That student who was late to your class today may have been late because their babysitter was late getting to their house.
The student who fell asleep in class may have just pulled an all-nighter after working to job shifts then coming home to read in order to be prepared for your class.
The student who missed class may actually be sick because they couldn’t afford the proper medication.
If you have not realized the things that we as students go through while still striving to excel in school, then you, like the student sleeping through your lecture, (that nobody seems to be paying attention to) need to wake up!
We as students realize that we are here for an education but we still have a life and have to struggle.
You should know how college life is, after all you were young once.
We as students in the new age have a lot more to handle and many of us are parents, support ourselves, or have many temptations that we constantly have to fight in order to succeed (i.e. peer pressure, drugs, fast cash, dropping out).
This is not a plea for leniency it is a plea for understanding. We expect a challenge. We expect a good professor, but most of all we expect respect just like you.
Your job is to teach and not to judge, so the next time a student walks in late and you know they are trying hard to do well in your class, don’t assume they were on the Set chilling with their roommate. Just imagine what they may have just gone through on the way to your class and remember you were probably in that same situation when you were in school.
A few weeks ago Teacher Evaluations were passed out and there were questions asking if the teacher is understanding, patient, etc. It’s sad to say but Dr. Head Snapper and the crew ya’ll got a big fat “F”!
Kanya Simon,19, is a sophomore magazine production student from Clearwater. She can be reached at kanya_00@yahoo.com.