One of the modules I’m taking this semester, say module A, gave me a favorable impression at the beginning of the semester. The reasons are pretty simple, with one being the fact that I took a module taught by someone very close to module A’s lecturer and I liked the lecturer for that module.
So yeah, I was really enthusiastic in the class. However, things have been going downhill because of a few incidents. Small incidents, probably, but they have affected me nonetheless.
First, I answered a question in class. It was a pretty challenging question that saw no one answering it correctly for quite some time. I got it correct.
In the next class, he mentioned my answer again, and said, “and this was answered by… ah I forgot, someone in the class”. He forgot me.
That really felt like a small incident initially, but I later observed that it was part of a bigger trend. This lecturer seems to be only interested in (1) people from a class he taught the previous semester (which he knew already) and (2) people who came from the same country as him.
I’m not in any of those categories, so I’m forgettable. At least so it seems to me.
Second, as I was typing out notes on my (lecture) slides in the class, he suddenly asked me a question. After I answered, he told the class that he asked me because I seemed distracted.
Well, I’ve been typing out my notes on my laptop since the first week of the class. I’m not a model student that has never done nothing irrelevant to the lesson in class, but I was paying attention at that time. I was naturally disappointed to hear why he asked me the question.
The third incident happened right after the second.
The marks for our previous assignment had just been published. I was surprised to see my low marks because I was confident that I’d done a pretty good job. I did my best for the assignment. Poured my heart and soul into it.
However, it turns out that I’d misunderstood a part of the assignment. It’s a little hard to explain without going down to the details, but I believe the misunderstanding was not totally my fault, or anyone’s for that matter. It was an unfortunate incident.
Still, (again, a little hard to explain) I believed I deserved more marks than what I had been given (zero for that part).
This lecturer loves to talk. Earlier in the day, he gave our midterm papers back, and humorously boasted about how considerate and generous he was in giving marks. He, again humorously, said that he probably should have gotten an award for being the most generous grader in the faculty.
So I went to him to appeal for my grades, less than 5 minutes after he said those things. His face turned dark and his voice louder (may I say… meaner?) as he said to me that he did not understand how he could help me since what I had submitted was not what was asked. He also said that he obviously could not give me another chance at submitting.
I was pretty discouraged by that response, although (while trying to contain my stupid welled-up tears) I proceeded with my argument. I explained that I was not asking for another chance. I was just asking for a reconsideration, since what I submitted was actually very close to what the assignment asked for (but I was given 0 marks for such attempt). His teaching assistant, to whom I explained the same thing the previous day, helped me by saying that what I said about my submission was indeed true. My submission was detailed and was very close to what was asked.
He gave in in the end, saying that he would discuss it with his teaching assistant privately.
Just a few hours afterwards, I got an e-mail about a change in my score.
Now, I’m thankful for that, but the incidents that happened before, including how he reacted to my appeal, has formed my impression of him quite solidly already. My favorable first impression is gone.
It’s just a little unfortunate. I was hoping for a great time in this module, but I’ve sort of grown to not really like the class now. The materials are OK, the workload is OK, but I don’t really like the… lecturer. In a personal way. I think he’s a good, competent lecturer otherwise.
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Some remarks about the ‘welled-up tears’ part. I don’t know why, but I get really sad (and instantly teary) when something I poured my heart into doing gives me a result far worse than what I’ve expected.
