An Open Letter

The following is an open letter. It is not addressed to anyone in particular because it is merely an outlet for my stress. Consider this the cluster bomb approach: I tried to hit everyone and everything without prejudice. If you are offended, then read it in this light: I will strive to never be on the receiving end of a complaint/accusation/comment such as this.

Dear Professor ______________,

I don't doubt that you have a lot on your plate right now, but I would like to burden you with these questions. Please mull over them and answer them honestly for yourself. I don't need to know the answers, although your feedback would be appreciated.

Did you ever consider the load of the schedule you proposed for the semester?
I don't want you to think I'm lazy, but it seems ambitious. Take for example the week where you were hoping to have a project due, a test, as well as the standard homework for the week. You have several other classes to prepare for, as do I, and that is going to be tough to handle with my other classwork and responsibilities.

Could you get back to me on the assignment I handed in two weeks ago?
It seems reasonable to me to expect that you provide me with feedback about the work that I submitted to you. I usually put a lot of time and effort into my work and it would validate that my time was well spent if you could spend just a few minutes reviewing it. It doesn't have fancy, a, "nice job," "I like your observations," or "you could have improved on this by..." would do fine.

Did you ever look over your syllabus/schedule to make sure that it was clear?
I've been reading over it so that I can do my best work for you and I'm really confused. The schedule doesn't seem to be arranged in chronological order and the third event doesn't have a date listed. I'm also frustrated because your rubric is based on hieroglyphics and doesn't match up with the requirements.

Why is this assignment so comprehensive?
I have been working at this assignment for several hours now and I'm really connecting with the material, however, I still have three more parts to complete. I have made the connections I think you were hoping for and now I'm just feeling overwhelmed. I can assure you, I don't have a desire to turn this into the thesis for my doctoral degree.

Could you liven class up a bit?
I know that planning lessons is difficult (you've had me present in class, so I know firsthand), but the lectures have been a bit dry recently. I understand the material isn't revolutionary or in your particular field of study, but perhaps we could elevate our study to a different level or pick a different angle to make it sufferable.

Could you please explain that differently?
I asked a question in class today not because I didn't hear you the first time, but because I didn't understand what you said. I need you to rephrase what you said in different terms or point me to a resource where I can find out more information.

You want to move class to when?
Thanks for moving the test outside of our class period so that I would have longer to work on it. The only problem is I have a night class followed by a meeting for my other class, and I need some time to work on my homework. I am going to have to break commitments that I've made because I didn't have enough advance notice to show up at the time you scheduled.

How am I supposed to communicate with you?
I need to talk with you about something that I haven't been able to figure out on my own. You haven't responded to my e-mails and you weren't in your office when I stopped by. This is somewhat urgent if you want me to complete the project on time.

Sincerely,
Nate Smith