A Spitting Image

Someone thought that the recent (tragic?) case of the NTU stabbing was me getting to a certain lecturer faster than expected. While I know little about what's on the news these days, I've contemplated throttling a certain chunky spinster before my peers.

There are few lecturers or teachers I hate.

No, I lied.

Just add this one to the list, yes, fine.

What I really cannot stand is the fact that we are expected to sit in our thinly-padded seats and pretend to listen to someone pretending to know what she is blithering on about. I mean, come on. Someone with a "Degree in English" can't spell or pronounce "geographical", "methodology" or "neurology"?

Her immaculate way with words aside, what irks most is the fact that she seems to grade our papers with the consistency of a senile goldfish, and she has the same glassy stare to match. You can submit two near-identical papers and receive two grades which are letters apart, and conflicting, hypocritical "comments" to boot.

Case I

Literature review. I speak of two well-known communication theories, and how they relate to the thesis of the research paper. Angry red circles, with "How is this relevant?!?". Friend of mine has same words in the same section ticked and marked for "Good work". Weeks later, both of us hand in literature reviews as part of a laarger assignment. This time mine is rated highly, hers assumes the appearance of a toddler's finger-painting masterpiece.

Case II

When said lecturer throws a question to the class about relevant areas of research for the topic of biochemical causes and effects of love and romance, the answer of "neurology" is greeted with a look utterly devoid of anything remotely approaching comprehension. After struggling with the word for a good fifteen seconds, the blob stammers "newogy?" and someone is forced to interject with a more proper pronounciation and its associated definition and proposed validity. "Newogy" is promptly shot down because "Biopsychology is much easier than newogy" and "newophysiology is better". Later claims to have a "newogis" friend.

Case III

Grades an assignment with a straight A, but then grades a later assignment as a B, saying that the earlier one was flawed.

I can go on. But the most recent thing that has promtped me to consider flinging my textbook at the slobbering twit standing before us was her self-assured, holier-than-thou response of "whatever I say, I can't convince you because you simply don't know." So much for instructors and students teaching each other.

I want to strangle her sometimes, but I am afraid that I will get bowser's spittle all over me.