French University

Wednesday

I had the WORST day. Actually, it was all due to my extra special professor that I recently talked about. One of the downsides to public education in France is it seems that once you have your job, it's pretty difficult to lose it.

After putting up with a semester of bullshit, whereas other classes were actually learning, we turned in our papers last week. I am not quite sure what a professor who puts in little effort expects from our papers. He bitched to us for over an hour about the bullshit we turned in. He even went as far to call certain students assholes and uneducated. I should have walked out this time, really.

I finally got my paper back which was the equivalent to an American D. I was astonished. After class I asked him why, because I did exceedingly well on my previous papers. He said I couldn't speak French and that my level of French was nowhere near sufficient to talk about the subject I had chosen. He went on to say he wasn't a supermarket where you can haggle grades.

I shouldn't have let this get to me because I wrote a DAMN good paper, yeah that's right, an excellent paper. Yes, my paper did go against what his arguments in previous classes, but I justified my arguments. So, he gave me a bad grade for that. As for my level of French? He handed it back with one word circled for being misspelled. I had a French literature major, who happens to be a great friend, correct it for me. So, I know it wasn't a shit paper.

After this incident, I went to our program directors who said he can be somewhat of a crazy teacher but I should just try harder on the next paper. I assume they don't want to cause any problems because I am just here until the end of the semester, whereas they are there year in and year out. Is one student really worth causing a controversy? In France, no. So he gets away with this behavior.

I was pissed, but last night I decided that there are people like this in the world. It sucks. They make life that much harder for everyone. He can continue living life acting like he is God, but I know he's just an incompetent professor past his prime who is so consumed by S&M and his beliefs that he is not willing to see or hear anything else. Pathetic, really.

Thursday

After studying all night to "try harder" on my next paper, which was an in class paper today, I arrived to class only to find he was quizzing us on nothing relevant to the text. Of course. I should have known reading those two extremely difficult books was going to be a waste. I literally laughed out loud when I read the prompt. It just solidified my opinions of his insanity.

I left class feeling lighter and freer. My comrades weren't as happy as I was about failing a test, but to each his own right? It was 75 degrees today so I took my lunch to the grassy area of campus. I studied for my Art History class. Guess what? The things we discussed in class were actually on the test! I came home to a package from my mom.

It was a great day.