There’s been a real trend of students exposing their professors for rude or uncool stuff they’ve done while in charge of a classroom. Maybe Zoom is creating enough of a distance that people feel safe speaking truth to power. Or maybe they’re just realizing college has turned into a scam to keep them in debt forever.
Twitter user @Skyeaxe is keeping the movement going with her series of screenshots of her professor mixing up the forward and reply button.
Skye when to New Paltz in upstate New York, and she writes, “GUYS IVE GRADUATED SO NOW I HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE My senior seminar professor (and the chair of women’s gender and sexuality) wrote an email about me, meant to send it to other professors, and send it TO ME Ironically, the seminar was on poverty and homelessness.”
In the email Skye screenshot, she is just pointing out to her teacher that the pricing list for materials on the class is incorrect and it’s actually higher. She suggests that some of the course materials be moved to Blackboard to help with costs for students.
The teacher responds—but her reply is meant for other people. She just accidentally sent it to Skye. “Check out this entitled student — ballsy,” the teacher wrote.
Skye shared her two replies. In the first one, she doesn’t realize this is an accidental message and tries to apologize.
At first I was terrified. I thought the email was just to me
And then I realized she sent it to a whole slew of people, including people not even teaching at the school AND the chair of my major’s department and I lost it pic.twitter.com/mUeSNvdmJC
— s̑̈k̑̈y̑̈ȇ̈ (@skyeaxe) August 31, 2020
In the second, she writes, “Actually, I see you were trying to talk about me to other professors so I will be dropping your class. You are very mean and have a sense of arrogance and self-righteousness that is beyond belief! Good luck with your book and have a fantastic semester.”
The teacher replies to that and says, “It’s good that you’re dropping the class — started off on a bad foot. My point is that I have pedagogical reasons for having you purchase the packet of readings. It’s not just about money but about how students learn.”
“There are a variety of learning styles that need to be accommodated. I realize school is expensive — most classes require around $100 per class for books — I try to keep costs lower if I can.”
“Having said that — you should reflect on the tone of your message and the way you engaged me — I experienced it as you telling me how to run my class which [f]elt inappropriate and disrespectful.”
I’ve never had any issue with my sociology professors, so for this to happen I was deeply hurt and frustrated.
Imagine being so close minded while constantly gloating about being an activist? Couldn’t be me pic.twitter.com/e5tCDCDLLE— s̑̈k̑̈y̑̈ȇ̈ (@skyeaxe) August 31, 2020
Was it though? I think teachers just don’t like anyone questioning them. And as Skye pointed out, this teacher has everyone buying the book she wrote to take the class. Seems like a racket.
People are pissed on Skye’s behalf, but she’s asked them to leave the teacher alone. The whole thing went down a year ago and the school was informed at the time.
Also her required book on top of the packet is HER BOOK
She makes EVERY student she has buy her book. You could be taking feminist theory and she makes you buy her expensive book on poverty in San Francisco
No teacher should commodify their students
— s̑̈k̑̈y̑̈ȇ̈ (@skyeaxe) August 31, 2020
Hey friends, PLEASE stop harassing this woman. It happened a year ago. It was really messed up, I think it’s important for me to speak up about this, but there is no need to step in. Trust me, the school knows!
— s̑̈k̑̈y̑̈ȇ̈ (@skyeaxe) September 1, 2020
I’d be on Skye’s side one hundred percent if she hadn’t put this woman’s name out there like that. The Internet is wild, man. If you don’t want someone to be harassed, don’t incite harassment against them. You know what you’re doing.